The Road They Were Destined to Take
by OveractiveImagination39
Summary: Separated from Uncle Iroh and left for dead, Zuko is found by the Avatar and friends.Though Katara can mend his body, can she help him heal his heart from past wounds and can their new found feelings for each other survive the battles ahead?
1. Chapter 1

_**Cover Art image "Obligatory Zutara Fluff" by Doozigitis**  
_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar or its charactors - or else Zutara would be a reality!_

**The Road to Ba Sing Se**

It had been a mistake to enter the village, but they had been days wandering in barren wastelands before coming across what seemed like a safe haven. It didn't take long to realize their mistake. They had only been in the market for minutes when they noticed the wanted posters with their pictures on them: wanted by the Fire Nation as both prince and bandit, and with a scar that he couldn't hide to give him away. They heard murmuring amongst the people and then a shout, "There they are; there's the two fire nation criminals!"

Zuko looked to his uncle and they knew that they had to run and fast. They hopped on their ostrich-horse and started to escape. The Earth Kingdom soldiers were on them immediately and with no chance to water the animal, he did not know how far they would get. As soon as they left the village the landscape again became barren and coarse. He could hear the animal panting under their weight. He yelled back to his uncle, "I don't think the animal is going to make it much further. We are going to have to make a stand and fight if we have any chance of surviving this!"

"I know." Iroh replied. "See if we can make it to those rocks. We may find cover amongst them."

"Or certain death if they can bend!" he yelled back. He pushed the animal on until it finally collapsed underneath them. "Let's run! We have a little distance between us and them. Maybe there is a place we can hide." Zuko yelled as he helped his uncle up. The ostrich-horse had trapped Iroh's leg beneath him in the fall. He helped his uncle out from under the animal but as he helped him stand Iroh let out a yell of pain.

"My leg; I think it may be broken. I can't run anywhere."

"Then I'll carry you. We have got to get to the cover of those rocks."

"I am too heavy nephew. We will never make it."

"We've got to try." He replied and lifted his uncle onto his back. His uncle wasn't kidding about being heavy. The weight was staggering but he was determined not to be caught.

He ran for the rocks but the soldiers were upon them in minutes. They hid behind a big boulder only to have it lift itself into the air and come crashing down beside them. "Earth benders." He cursed. "Uncle, where can we go? We're trapped here. We must fight."

His uncle muttered to himself and then he replied, "There are at least twenty soldiers. Even together we may not be able to escape. This is familiar ground for them. They have the tactical advantage over us."

"But we have the superior skill. I will not die at the hands of the Earth Kingdom. I will not die in shame!" He yelled at his uncle. And then with fury in his heart he unleashed powerful shots of fire from his fists. The blast knocked several men from their animals, but the remaining men focused their energy on him and caused the earth to shake beneath his feet. He fell to the ground but quickly recovered. The soldiers came rushing forward and he met their charge with a spray of fire. Immediately rock flew up to shield the men. Zuko let out a yell and them jumping over the wall of rock he landed in their midst and began to fight. Using all his skills as a fighter and a bender he fought them off. But his uncle had been right, there were too many men for him alone to battle and with his uncle injured he had no choice but to retreat and try to drag him to safety. He created a fireball around himself as a diversion and leapt away from the fighting. He ran to his uncle. "We must try to escape. I will carry you if I need too, but we need to leave now."

Zuko," he replied, "There is no where to go. We are out of options and besides I am far too heavy for you to carry over this rocky terrain. We must surrender."

"Never!" he yelled back. "I will not surrender."

"Then you will die." came the reply from one of the soldiers. Where had he come from thought Zuko? How could I be so distracted that I didn't see him coming? The soldier pointed his sword at Iroh. "We only want him. You are of little consequence."

"I will not let you take my uncle. He is an old man. Leave him be. Take me. I am the Prince of the Fire Nation. I am sure that my father will pay handsomely to get me back." He bluffed.

The soldier laughed in his face. "Ah the infamous banished Prince Zuko. I find it highly unlikely that your father would pay to have you back, other then to kill you himself. We would be doing him a favor if we were to kill you now. What happens to you is of no matter to us. But General Iroh is an enemy to our people. His victories for the fire nation came a great cost to the people of the earth kingdom. He will come with us to Ba Sing Se to stand trial for his crimes against our people." The soldier went to bind Iroh's hands when Zuko let out a yell and lunged for him. He had barely moved when the earth started to crumble beneath his feet. "You are a foolish young man. Don't you know to check your footing before you attack? The ground here is very unstable both below your feet and above." In an instant he could feel rocks and debris fall on top of him. The crushing force buried him within minutes. He could hear his uncle call his name and then all was silent and dark.

"Prince Zuko, time is short, wake up."

A young girl's voice called to him in the darkness. Where was he and who was she? Slowly he opened his eyes and before him was a beautiful girl. She had dark skin like the water tribe race, her hair was pure white, and her eyes were the bluest he had ever seen. She looked vaguely familiar to him but he couldn't quite place her.

"Who are you?" he asked.

She smiled a sad smile and replied, "I used to be known as Yue, but that life is over now. I gave my life back to the moon spirit so that it could live."

Suddenly it became clear to him; she was the girl from the North Pole. She had been with the Avatar when he had come across him in the Spirit Oasis. He had barely noticed her at the time. All his attention was on the prize before him. All he had to do was eliminate the water tribe girl that traveled with the Avatar and the boy was his. He had done it too. The Avatar was finally his and he would be returning home soon if it hadn't been for the blizzard. But things had changed. He had lost the Avatar again and then Zhao had killed the moon spirit. He hadn't known at the time, but his uncle had filled him in on it during the three week trip on the open ocean after the battle. He remembered his uncle mentioning the girl and how she had sacrificed her life for the sake of her tribe, for the whole world for that matter. Zuko had been amazed by her bravery. But if she had given up her life those few short months ago, why was she here with him now? In fact he wondered where exactly here was. The past few days became a blur to him and he couldn't remember much of anything.

"Where am I?" he asked.

"You are caught between the living and the dead Prince Zuko. Your body has been gravely injured. Without help you will surely die."

"But I don't feel anything. How can I be so close to death if I don't feel any pain?"

"Your spirit and your body have temporarily disconnected themselves. If you stay like this too long you will sever the bond forever." He looked at her in confusion. So many questions came to his mind, but before he could ask any she cut him off. "As I said earlier time is short. I have a message to relay to you. The time is drawing near to end this war. The Avatar grows in strength and knowledge every day. He has learned three of the elements and only needs to master fire bending before he is ready to face the Fire Lord. But all the wisdom and skill of the ages will not be enough if he has to do it alone. He will need the help of his friends, but most importantly he will need the help of someone who knows the Fire Nation intimately. Getting to the Fire Lord will not be easy, but with your help he could do it."

"My help!" Zuko exclaimed. "Why would I help him destroy my own father?"

"Zuko you know it must happen. You have witnessed the destruction and the loss caused by the Fire Nation first hand. You yourself have been banished for defending your people. What kind of leader sacrifices his own people to satisfy his need for conquest? You knew at a young age that your father was wrong, that this war was wrong. You must help Aang defeat him or all will be lost."

"You ask too much. I cannot play a part in my father's death."

"The world needs you now as much as it needs the Avatar. Defeating the Fire Lord is only a part of the changes that must come. The world has been in turmoil for a hundred years. Wrongs have occurred that will not be easily forgiven. It will take a strong leader to bring the Fire nation to the peace table. And it will take a leader who understands the cost of war and the need for peace and harmony amongst the nations. You will be that leader Prince Zuko. You must help the Avatar bring about peace."

"How can I be that leader? I just a banished prince, remember. My father revoked my birthright. Without the Avatar I can not return home with honor and I will not be able to regain my throne."

"Your people will stand with you if you help the Avatar restore balance. You are a man of honor, you have always been. Now is the time to show the world what you are capable of."

"I cannot do it. I need to do as my father asks of me. I need to find the Avatar and return him to the Fire Nation."

"If you return the Avatar to your father he will destroy him and the hopes of the world will die with him. You cannot do that. Search your heart Prince Zuko. You know what you must do." She paused and looked at him with tears in her eyes. "You must return. There are forces here that would rather see you dead. Return to the living and remember what I have told you. Trust in yourself. You know what the right thing to do is."

Suddenly he felt a crushing weight upon his chest. Pain enveloped his entire body and he cried out from it. "It's ok," came Yue's soft voice, "My friends are here to help you. Trust in them and believe in yourself and all will work out.


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I do not Avatar or any of the charactors._

**A Chance Encounter**

They had been traveling for days and were all a little bit tired. They were headed for the Earth Kingdom of Ba Sing Se. Aang was steadily progressing in earth bending and now they were ready to prepare for the final leg of their journey. The trip had taken its toll on them all physically and mentally. Losing Appa in the desert had been devastating for Aang and the group of friends seemed ready to fall apart. Katara had held the group together as best she could and after encountering the sand benders they managed their way out of the desert. It took them some time to find Appa, but they managed to catch up with him before they reached Ba Sing Se. Trying to transport an uncooperative ten ton bison to the capital city had proven too much for the traders. They were almost happy when Aang _relieved_ them of their load. That was yesterday and Appa was still recovering from his ordeal.

They had stopped in a village a short time ago and gotten a few supplies before taking off again. Apparently there had been an incident involving fire nation criminals before they arrived and they were glad to have missed the action. The less interaction with the fire nation the better. They headed north following the road. Appa was getting pretty tired so Aang decided to land for a while to give him a rest.

"How about we stop over there by those rocks and rest for the night?" he asked.

"Oh sure stop in a perfectly good village for food, but now we're going to rest among the rocks. I am sick and tired of rocks!" complained Sokka.

"Too delicate to sleep on the hard ground." Teased Toph.

"Not too delicate, just tired of rocks!" he exclaimed.

Aang landed Appa gently by the formation of rocks and they gathered their gear. Each had duties to attend to before dinner and sleep. Katara headed off looking for firewood. She gathered what she could find and was heading back to camp when she heard a yell of someone in pain and then moaning. She looked in the direction of the sound and saw a hand barely visible above the rocks. Someone's buried under there! Quickly she yelled for the others and then made her way to the pile of rocks and the hand sticking out from them.

"Hold on!" she said in a calming voice. "As soon as Toph gets here we are going to get you out. Just hold on!"

She was answered with another moan and then silence. Hurry up guys, she thought. She started to remove the rocks that were lightest and soon the others arrived. "There's someone trapped under these rocks. Toph quickly lift the rocks from around him and Aang move him away from the area so that I can assess the damage."

For once Toph reacted without a sharp retort and the rocks flew into the air. At the same time Aang gently lifted the body from the rocky and moved him over to softer ground. He laid him down on his side and Katara quickly ran over to help.

"It's okay; we're here to help you." She rolled him over and let out a gasp. His face was swollen and bruised but the scar gave him away. It was Zuko. She almost turned him back over but she couldn't do it. He may be Zuko, but he was a human being. He deserved help at a time like this. Honestly though she didn't know if all the help she could provide would be enough. He was pretty badly hurt. Still she would try.

"Katara get back!" Sokka yelled. She jumped at the sound of his voice. "That's Zuko. Get away it could be trap."

"Some trap Sokka. Crushing himself under a pile of rocks. Great plan. Maybe next time he should just put a dagger through his heart, it would be less painful." She shot back. "Look he's injured pretty bad. I don't know if I can heal him, but I've got to try."

"Katara, Sokka's right to be concerned. Zuko is dangerous. Remember that." Aang added.

"I'll be careful." She replied. She looked Zuko over carefully assessing the damage. It did not look good for the prince. "I'm going to need more water than what I carry. Could someone get me the jug that we filled in the village?"

"That's our drinking water Katara." Exclaimed Sokka.

"Sokka if I don't use it he will die. You and Aang can always return to village for more supplies if we need them."

"Fine, but I don't like this one bit. You heal him and it might be our lives on the line next."

He went off mumbling and Katara turned her attention to Zuko. His clothes were tattered and torn and she new she would have to remove them to better asses the damage. "Aang could you help me with his clothes. We need to get them off to clean his wounds and see just how badly he's hurt. Toph could you get my sleeping bag. We can lay him on it. That should be a little more comfortable than the hard ground."

Toph went off and Katara and Aang set to work. Soon Sokka returned and she set about to heal him. She turned to her brother and Aang, "This may take awhile. Why don't you build a fire and prepare dinner."

"Sure thing Katara." Replied Aang.

Katara turned to the prince. He was moaning again. Pain was evident in his expression, but something else as well. He looked almost sad, as if he had just lost something very dear to him. "It's going to be ok Zuko. I learned how to heal with water while we were in the North Pole." She spoke more to herself in an attempt to stay calm. It was one thing to ease burns and small cuts, but another thing entirely to heal a totally broken body like this one. The cuts and scraps would be easy, but if he had any broken bones she would only be able to use traditional medicine and time to heal them.

She opened the water jug and lifted the contents into a ribbon above Zuko's chest. She would start there as that was where his injuries were greatest. She moved the water so that it wrapped around his chest and then she began to concentrate. With her mind totally focused on his injuries she began to see areas that she could heal. Slowly the cuts and deep gashes on his chest began to fade. His breathing eased a little bit and she was relieved to see that her healing powers could ease more than his surface wounds. Maybe, just maybe he would live.

After some time she continued on to his arms. The water enveloped one arm at a time until slowly the marks were gone. She knew that the bones had not been broken in his right arm, but his left would need to be set if he recovered. Satisfied with her progress she moved to his legs. He was lucky to have not broken either, but she could not be sure the extent off the damage or how long it would be before he would be able to walk without pain.

She saved his face for last. If it had not been for the burn over his left eye she would not have recognized him. His face was swollen. His eyes were blackened and she thought that he may have broken his nose. She moved a smaller portion of water now about his face. The bruises started to disappear and his eyes cleared. Maybe his nose was ok she thought as she set about finishing her job. Her gaze lingered on his scar. Too bad she had not known him when he got it. If she had he would not have it anymore. So much pain. It had to have hurt so much. He was lucky that he hadn't lost his eye. But that was in his past. She still had a job to do now.

She released the water back into the jug and took a deep breath. When she looked up she noticed Aang staring at her. "That was amazing!" he said. She blushed at the praise.

"I'm just glad that I took the time to learn it. But now I need to set about mending his broken bones."

"Why don't you take a break?" Sokka spoke up. "You've been at this for well over an hour. We made dinner. Why don't you eat?"

She suddenly smelled the aroma of the cooked food. She had been so engrossed in her task at hand that she had lost track of time and her surroundings. "Let me finish setting his arm and then I'll eat. If he survives the night you'll need to pick up some more food when you go to town to refill the water jug. We may have one more mouth to feed for awhile." She turned back to Zuko and started to set his broken arm.

Pain enveloped him and he let out a scream. He heard voices and then the pressure of the rocks lifted from his body. He felt as if he was floating on the air and then he was laid down gently on soft ground. He fell back to sleep only to waken later to the sound of a soft voice telling him that he would be ok. Then he felt a warm, tingling sensation in his chest that carried on throughout his entire body. The pain in his body slowly began to ease. He found it easier to breathe again.

Again he heard voices and then he felt someone's hands on his left arm. Pain again shot through him and he let out a groan.

"Sorry. I'll be gentler from here on out." Came a young girl's voice. It seemed familiar but still he couldn't place it. "I'm just trying to set your arm. I think it's broken. Actually you are very lucky if this is the only bone you broke." He knew that she wasn't talking to him. She just kept rambling on, probably to keep herself busy.

He found it hard to keep awake. He would find out her name when he wasn't so tired. For now he would sleep.

By dawn he was moaning and crying out in his sleep. Katara woke to his screams and went to his side. She placed a hand on his cheek and could feel him burning from a fever. She was afraid that this would happen. She had healed his physical wounds but the infection that was present at the time was now running its course. She went to her things, got a cloth, and soaked it with water from the jug. She spread the cloth on his forehead. Hopefully his body would be able to fight the infection or last night would have been for nothing.

She sat back and stared at him. Now that the swelling was gone she could recognize his features again. Still he looked different. That day at the abandoned village she had taken a double take at him. His shaven head and ponytail were gone. His hair had grown back and now covered his entire head. The hair somehow softened his harsh features and made him seem less intimidating. And then when his uncle was wounded, he had looked so stricken. She had almost felt sorry for him. Too bad he had refused her help or his uncle may have survived his injuries.

His face contorted in pain and he let out another moan. She spoke soothing words to him and he relaxed. She continued to stare at him. He seemed different. She couldn't put her finger on it, but something wasn't the same about him since their encounter at the North Pole. Could Zuko have changed? He had lost everything in the Fire Nation battle with the water spirit. She was surprised that he had survived. Seeing him in that village was a shock, but seeing him like this was even more shocking.

What if he lived? Would he still try to capture Aang or would he give up his quest and let them be? Please let things be different.


	3. Chapter 3

_Standard disclaimer applies._

**The Light of Day**

When he awoke again it was quiet. The sun felt warm on his face and he wondered where he was. He lay there still, trying to remember what had happened when suddenly he envisioned his uncle. The earth kingdom soldiers had captured him. He needed to go after them! With a start he yelled out for his uncle and then tried to get up. His head swam and he felt sick to his stomach.

"Whoa! Slow down. You're not ready to charge into battle just yet." The girl's voice said to him. Slowly he opened his eyes and turned towards the sound of her voice. To his astonishment it was the water tribe girl that traveled with the Avatar. Where had she come from and why was she sitting with him?

"Awake at last." She said and smiled. For a time there we weren't sure if you were going to make it."

He gazed at her with confusion. "Where am I?" he croaked. She offered him water and while he drank she spoke.

"We found you two days ago amidst a pile of rubble. You were pretty messed up. We thought you were dead. I'm still amazed that you survived."

Two days had passed? He had lost too much time already. Maybe his uncle had escaped. Just maybe he was still here and safe. "My uncle, is he here?"

She looked at him with a combination of pity and confusion. "I assumed your uncle died after your sister shot him with the blue fire. There was no one else here when we found you."

He closed his eyes to hold back the tears that suddenly sprang forth. He had to find his uncle. He had lost valuable time, but he could still save him if he left now. With a grunt he tried to get up again. He turned to the girl. "I have to go. I must find him soon or he will be dead!" He pushed up to sit. Pain shot through his left arm and he cried out and fell back to his mat.

"You really shouldn't try to move. You've been sick with a fever for the past two days and your body is still healing from the accident. If you can't tell already your left arm is broken. I've set it but it will take some time to mend. There is no way that you will be of any help to your uncle in your present condition."

"You don't understand. Earth Kingdom soldiers captured my uncle. They intend to take him to Ba Sing Se to stand trial for war crimes. They will most likely kill him. I have to go help him."

"And I'm telling you that there is no way that you can do that given your present condition." Her voice started to rise and he could tell that she was beginning to get angry. But he was angrier. He had to save Uncle Iroh. He was all he had left in this world.

"My present condition is thanks to those same soldiers that captured him. Earth benders", he spat, "they collapsed the ground beneath my feet and brought down the surrounding rocks on top of me. They don't care about my uncle. He hurt his leg during our escape. It may be broken. He may not even survive the journey to the capital. But that won't matter to them. He is just an old man. No one understands that. He needs my help or he will die!" The anger continued to rise within him until he felt that he would explode. He had to get up now. Slowly he rolled over to his right side and pushed himself up. He fought the nausea back and focused all his strength on the task of sitting up. He could hear the water tribe girl yelling at him, but he was determined to get out of here. After catching his breath he sat up. The world swam before his eyes and before he could stop himself he fell forward and started to retch.

"Stupid, hot headed, arrogant jerk! You wouldn't listen to me. You think you know everything. I told you that you were in no shape to get up. But you just had to try. You deserve to be sick. I don't know why I even tried to help…"

"Could… you …just…be…quiet…for…one…minute." He panted.

"Be quiet? Why should I be quiet? I stayed up for almost two days nursing you back to life. I think I can say whatever I want." She screeched at him.

Still panting, he rolled over onto his back again. He was exhausted from throwing up the water she had just given him to drink. Overwhelmed by the situation he could feel the tears of frustration start. He closed his eyes again, but it was too late. He could feel the hot, wet tears make their way down his cheeks. Shame permeated every pore in his body and he wished that he were dead. Suddenly he realized that it was quiet. The girl had fallen silent. At least one good thing had come from this humbling situation. She had finally shut up.

He lay there for a few moments still not wanting to open his eyes and face her. Finally he knew he had to deal with her. He opened his eyes and focused on her face. To his astonishment she was sitting there crying as well. She stared at him with tears streaming down her face. In silence they stared at each other until finally she spoke.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have called you those names. It's just that I haven't really slept since we found you two days ago. You were so sick and I thought that you might die. The whole time I was thinking to myself that maybe I should have just left you alone to begin with. What if you tried to hurt us or take Aang when you woke up? The whole situation was just plain weird. And now that you're awake I still wonder if I made the right decision. But really what choice did I have. I couldn't just let you die. I'm sorry about your uncle. I wish that things were different, but you still need to mend. I wish there was more I could do but my healing powers can't mend bones or fight infection. Only time…"

He looked at her with amazement and cutting her off in mid sentence he said, "You healed me?"

She actually blushed at his question, but replied, "Well yes. Yes I did. I learned to heal with water some time ago and perfected the craft while I was in the North Pole."

She could heal using water. He had heard of this ability before, but had never seen it much less experience it first hand. Suddenly he was embarrassed. He was so consumed by his need to find his uncle that he had let his emotions rule his actions. She was right. There was no way that he could rescue him like this. He would be of little help even if he could find his uncle. He looked at her and said, "I'm sorry. You were right. I am in no condition to help my uncle. I shouldn't have lost my temper with you." He could tell by the look on her face that the last thing she expected from him was an apology.

"It's ok. I know it must difficult for you right now."

He stared at her and then spoke again. "I … I don't know your name."

"Katara." She replied quickly. "My name is Katara."

"Well then Katara, thank you for going against your better judgment and healing me. I owe you a debt of gratitude."

Amazingly she blushed again and then smiled.

"Your welcome." She answered. "Someday though, I may have to call you on repayment of that debt."

He could only imagine that she was referring to the Avatar. Well one thing at a time. Right now finding and rescuing his uncle was more important that capturing the Avatar. He closed his eyes amazed at how tired this brief encounter had made him.

"You should rest." she said. "Aang and Sokka should be back soon with some supplies. I'll make us a meal and when you wake up you can try to eat something."

She was too nice. He knew that he didn't deserve it. In fact he didn't deserve any of the kindness that he had been shown by others over the past few months. But most of those people didn't know who he was. Katara knew full well who he was and his drive to capture her friend. Still she treated him with compassion. He felt bad accepting her aid when he knew that most likely he would hurt her in the end. He would eventually capture her friend. Not now, but sometime soon. And then she would regret being so kind. She wouldn't look at him and smile like she had moments before. The thought made him sad. It would be nice if just once he could return kindness with kindness.


	4. Chapter 4

_Standard disclaimer applies._

**An Urgent Need to Leave**

Katara sat by the fire mending Zuko's torn clothes. What a far cry from the fineries that he must have worn in the past. Who was the peasant now she thought? His life certainly had taken a turn over the past few months. But then she had seen the wanted posters alongside those of the Avatar. What a crowd she ran with now. Traitors and enemies of the Fire Nation just as his sister had said. She couldn't imagine how it would feel to be an outcast from your own nation. And now with his uncle gone Zuko was completely alone.

She thought back to their encounter after he woke up. How strange it had been. She was still reeling from the fact that he had apologized to her for losing his cool. And then as if that weren't enough, he actually thanked her for healing him. The wonders never ceased. She stared over at him now as he slept. She felt bad for him. He wanted to help his uncle so much, but he couldn't. She knew though that as soon as he could he would chase after him. That path would probably get him killed, after all these same soldiers almost killed him once already. But that was his choice.

She finished Zuko's pants and was about to start on his shirt when Sokka came running up. He stopped to catch his breath and then quickly blurted out, "We have to get out of here, now!"

"Sokka, what's going own." She asked.

"Back at the village… Zuko's sister and those two girls…they're looking for Aang…maybe Zuko and his uncle as well…we need to leave before they come here!"

"Why would they come here?"

"Because he's here," He pointed at Zuko. "It's just a matter of time before she hears about what happened to him and comes looking around here."

"Did they see you or Aang while you were there?"

"No we were at of sight, but who knows what they'll find out. We need to go. Start packing your stuff and I'll load Appa."

"I'm going to need help getting Zuko onto Appa. He was awake for awhile, but he's still pretty weak."

Sokka stared at her as if she had grown another head. "We're not taking him anywhere. Have you forgotten that he's the enemy? Leave him here for his sister to find."

"Sokka we can't do that. She'll kill him."

"Yeah, well if he goes with us it will be our necks on the chopping block. He is way too dangerous to take with us. You need to think about Aang and his mission. Zuko is no longer our concern."

"You're wrong Sokka. He is our concern. He is defenseless right now. Give him some time to heal and then we can drop him off somewhere else."

"No way Katara, we are not taking him!"

"Not taking who?" Toph asked.

"She wants to take Zuko with us. Tell her she's crazy."

"Katara I hate to have to agree with Sokka, but he's right. This guy has been after you ever since you found Aang. You can't really think that he won't try to take him once the opportunity presents itself?"

"Toph, I'm not that stupid! I know we can't trust him, but we can't leave him here to face his crazy sister alone."

"Katara's right", Aang said as he approached the group. "Zuko's sister is mean and she has no love for him. When they fought at the abandoned village I thought she was going to kill him. She wouldn't hesitate now, especially since he's injured. We need to take him somewhere safe."

"Aang how can you say that?" Sokka interjected. "He has gone after you every chance he's ever had. And he won't stop now just because Katara did her healing thing. He will be trouble."

"I know that Sokka, but I owe him."

"You owe him! How could you owe him? He has attacked you so many times that I've lost count."

"It's a long story and we don't have time to go into it. We need to load up Appa and get out of here."

"Long story," Sokka muttered, "Fine don't listen to me, but we'll all be sorry. I guarantee it." With that he stormed off to load Appa.

Katara turned to Aang, "Thanks for agreeing with me. We'll be ok. We can just drop him off somewhere after he's mended a little more. Besides he's looking for his uncle now. For once I don't think you are the priority."

"Let's hope not." Toph spoke up. "I'm ready. Let's get prince charming loaded and get going."

"Zuko you need to wake up. Come on, we need to go."

"I thought I was too sick to get up." He mumbled still half asleep.

"Well things have changed." Katara said impatiently. "We need to go now."

"Unless you want to wait her for your sister." Her brother added. With that his eyes flew open.

"Azula is here?"

The brother started to laugh. "Boy, I didn't think you were afraid of anything, but I guess I was wrong."

"Sokka now is not the time to start trouble. We need to go. Look Zuko, Sokka and I are going to help you get up and onto Appa's back. But we need to hurry. She could be here at any moment."

He glared at her brother. Sokka, was it? How dare that coward imply that he was afraid of Azula. He wasn't afraid of her. He just had a healthy appreciation for preserving his life. A thought she didn't share with him. "I don't need his help!" He grumbled. "I'll get up myself."

"Now is not the time to be prideful. You need both our help and you are going to get it whether you want it or not!" she yelled at him.

"I am not an invalid. I can get up on my own!" he yelled back. "I don't need help."

With that he rolled to his right and started to push himself up. Before he could get very far he felt her hand under his left arm guiding him to a sitting position. "Don't be so stubborn." She said in a calmer voice this time. "You know you need our help. Just ignore Sokka's stupid remarks and let's get going."

He turned to look at her, their faces only inches apart. Their eyes made contact and he immediately felt foolish. Again he had let his temper get the best of him. "You're right," He said softly, "I could use your help. And I'll try to ignore the fact that your brother is an idiot."

She smiled and said, "I didn't say he was an idiot, just that he says stupid things."

"Same thing." And before he could stop himself he felt himself return her smile. He noticed her blush and look down. Suddenly he felt another hand under his right arm, this one not as gentle.

"Alright, enough already, as if having him here isn't creepy enough, you two don't need to start getting all mushy with each other. If I had known that my remark would have started all this I would have kept it to myself! Katara back off. I can do this without you. Why don't you go prepare a nice, soft spot for our guest, on Appa's back and I'll be right there."

With that he felt Sokka move to adjust his entire weight and help him stand. Once on his feet he felt a little faint, but it quickly passed. "Before we go anywhere we need to get you dressed. Katara mended your pants, but the top still needs work. Let's at least get them on so that we don't give her a show, not that she hasn't seen too much already."

Zuko could feel himself blush at the thought of her seeing him with only his undergarments for cover. He hated being weak like this. He preferred to do things for himself and needing her to care for his basic necessities and then her brother's assistance just to get dressed was embarrassing.

Putting on his clothes took a little more effort than he would have thought but soon he was dressed and Sokka asked him if he was able to walk. "I'm fine," he replied. "Let's go." Slowly they started walking toward the bison. After a moment he said, "For your information I was not being 'mushy' with your sister earlier."

"Yeah, you just go on believing that. But I will be watching you. You know I'm not as dumb as I look."

"Yeah, you just go on believing that." He said back.

They reached the bison and Zuko looked up. The thing was enormous! There was no way that he was going to be able to crawl up on that thing. "How am I supposed to get up there." He remarked.

"I can help." Came a familiar voice. The Avatar! Once again luck was on the boy's side. Even if he had wanted to, he would never have been able to take him in his present condition. He looked up at the boy and to his amazement the monk smiled at him. "You just need a little boost." And with that he was lifted up into the air and gently placed on the animal's back. It still amazed him whenever the boy would air bend. He was used to water and earth bending, but the air benders hadn't existed in his world for his entire life. It was such an unassuming ability, but yet when he wanted to this boy could perform some pretty amazing feats with air. He had experienced his unique fighting style one too many times as well. He vowed that he would not underestimate him again. But now was not the time.

Sokka climbed up next to him and the Avatar hopped on the bison sitting on his head. He looked back towards their camp and said, "Almost forgot. Appa do your stuff." With that the giant animal slapped his tail down on the ground and sent any reminder that they had been there flying into the air. "Best to not give ourselves away." The boys said and then, "Yip, Yip."

At once the bison was flying through the air. Flying. He was actually flying through the sky on the back of the Avatar's bison. Sokka was right about one thing. This whole situation was a little strange.


	5. Chapter 5

_Standars disclaimer applies._

**Traitors and Enemies**

Princess Azula rode her giant lizard at break neck speed. It had been weeks since her last encounter with her brother and she was eager to see if the rumors at the Earth Kingdom village were correct. Uncle Iroh arrested and Zuko left for dead, it was almost too good to be true. Of course it would have been sweeter if it had been she who had had the honor of killing her brother, but now was not the time to be selfish. Behind her rode Ty Lee and Mai. The Earth Kingdom soldier who had _graciously _volunteered the information about her brother and uncle rode with Ty Lee. He was a coward and thought that she would have mercy on him once he showed her what she sought, but she had other plans.

They approached the outcroppings of rocks and the soldier yelled out, "This is the place. It was right over there that we captured General Iroh."

She dismounted and started in the direction that he was pointing. They eventually came to spot where Zuko was buried. She could feel her heart speed up in anticipation of finding her brother. They approached the area and saw many good sized rocks lying around, but no sign of the collapse that the soldier had spoken of. She could feel her anger start to rise. Could the soldier have been lying all along? If so he would truly pay for his actions.

He turned to her and the fear was clearly written all over his face. "I don't understand. We collapsed the rocks on top of him. He would have been crushed. There was no way her could have gotten out of there alone. Those rocks are far too heavy. In fact there is no way those rocks could have been moved except by an earth bender."

An earth bender, she thought. Why would an earth bender want to help her brother? "Are there any other earth benders in that village that could have done this?" She asked.

"No, all earth benders in this area are enrolled in the army or help in the fortifications at Ba Sing Se. No one from the village could have done this."

"Well then, were there any strangers beside my uncle and brother passing through town lately?"

He paused for a moment and thought. Suddenly his expression changed. "There was a girl. I heard that she could earth bend, but… well it couldn't have been her."

"And why not!" she replied impatiently.

"Because she was blind, the girl was blind." He replied in a shaky voice.

She stared at him for a moment and then a grin spread across her face. "This blind girl, did she travel with any other companions?"

"Well there were two teenagers. They were from the water tribe. They were purchasing some food and water."

"Anyone else?" she said as her pulse quickened. It couldn't be, after what seemed like a complete waste of time could she really be on the trail of the Avatar again?

"I don't remember"

"Think hard" she said. Fire suddenly sprang from her closed fists that were lying at her side.

He started to tremble and then he quickly spoke. "Yes there was another, a young boy. I couldn't see his face because he wore a cloak, but he did not dress like anyone I had ever seen around here."

She could no longer contain her excitement. She turned to Mai and Ty Lee, "It seems that my brother has been rescued by the Avatar and his band of friends. This situation just keeps getting better and better." She turned to the soldier. "How long ago did the rest of the soldiers leave with my uncle?"

"Yesterday; they left yesterday."

"Well they couldn't have gotten that far." She grinned. The soldier looked at her relief on his face that his task was over. "Your help is greatly appreciated." She said and then as quick as a flash she shot two fire blasts from her fists and sent him flying back to the ground. "Coward!" she spat. "Did you really believe that I would spare your life?" She turned to her friends. "Well we better get moving. We've got a lot of ground to cover if we're going to rescue my esteemed uncle from the Earth Kingdom."

The girls smiled at her remarks and mounted their lizards. The distance was great, but the animals were extremely fast. They should have uncle by the morning. The thought made her smile again. First uncle, then Zuko, and when all was finished she would have the Avatar to bring to her father.

The ride to Ba Sing Se had been difficult for Iroh. His leg was giving him great pain and the ride did nothing for his aching muscles. It had been three days since he had been captured. Two spent on the road. Three days since he had last seen Zuko. His heart ached with great pain. Losing Lu Ten had been hard enough. In fact he never thought that he could ever hurt like that again, but seeing Zuko killed before his very eyes was almost more than he could bear. He had gone willingly with the soldiers after that. There was no point in fighting, no point in living any more. All that he loved was gone. He would gladly go to Ba Sing Se and face the people of the Earth Kingdom capital. The siege at Ba Sing Se had caused him nothing but grief. It was time to put an end to that part of his life for once and for all. Soon he would be with his beloved son and nephew. He closed his eyes and started to drift to sleep, when suddenly there was a commotion amongst the soldiers. They came to a stop.

"Riders from the east," Came a yell from one of the men, "They seem to be riding giant lizards and approaching at great speed!"

"Hold your ground," the commander said. "How many do you see?"

"Three, there are only three, but commander they are from the Fire Nation!"

"Come to rescue the general I suppose," he said. And then rather smugly, "There are fifteen men here and only three of them. I think we can overpower them."

Three riders, Iroh thought. Could it be Azula? She had been alone at the abandoned village, but she could be traveling with others. He hoped it was not her. He would much rather face the entire Earth Kingdom than his niece.

The riders drew closer and then stopped. It was Azula and she had two other girls with her. "What can we do for you girls today?" the commander jeered.

Azula looked at him and sweetly replied, "It seems that you have something that belongs to the Fire Lord and I have come to retrieve him."

"You can't possibly think that I would give you General Iroh. You would have to fight us for him and clearly the numbers are not on your side. The battle would almost be unfair." He said in a very condescending voice.

"You know something, you're right. It wouldn't be a very fair fight." She turned to Mai and Ty Lee, "Girls why don't you take a short break. This shouldn't take too long."

The girls both smiled and moved aside. The commander became enraged. "You insult the Earth Kingdom with your boasts, but you will regret your arrogance soon enough."

He had barely gotten the words from his mouth when Azula unleashed a powerful onslaught of fire. He was knocked from his ostrich horse along with half the men in the group. "Never underestimate me. My arrogance is well placed. I will take my uncle. You can fight or you can surrender, but either way I will have him."

The remaining soldiers stood their ground but they were no match for her. Before long they all lay on the ground either wounded or dead. She turned to her uncle and smiled. Straightening her hair she said, "Well uncle you could at least thank me for rescuing you."

"I think I would rather have faced my executioner." He replied.

"Oh uncle, how can you say that? I have been nothing but nice to you… well except for our last encounter, but that was more to anger Zuko than to hurt you."

At the mention of Zuko's name his head dropped. "Oh uncle, poor uncle, you miss my brother don't you? Imagine how horrified I was when I learned of his demise. But the reports had been wrong. Zuko wasn't there. He survived that terrible accident."

He looked up again, "You would play with an old man's emotions like this. I saw your brother die right before my eyes. Do you think I would have gone willingly without him if I thought that he had lived?"

"Oh uncle, how bad you must feel. Poor Zuko, trapped beneath all those rocks. Crushed and barely able to breath. Waiting for help from his beloved uncle, but all in vain, for you had abandoned him."

"I did not abandon Zuko. I would never do that. You are lying just to hurt me further."

"Oh it's no lie uncle. In fact if I have my way you will see your beloved nephew soon." She spat the last words at him. "It seems that my brother has found his way into the Avatar's camp. Imagine those do-gooders response when they discovered that the poor soul that they had helped from the pile of rubble was Prince Zuko. In fact I'm surprised that they were stupid enough to take him with them, but that will be their problem. You see even if Zuko wanted to protect the Avatar, he won't be able to because I posses the one thing that he won't be able to resist, YOU!" she let out a laugh and then turned to her friends. "Load up the old man and let's go. My brother awaits."

Iroh felt sick in the pit of his stomach. His nephew was alive, a thought that should have brought him joy, but Azula's plans were only going to bring Zuko more suffering and he had already suffered enough for many lifetimes over.


	6. Chapter 6

_I do not own Avatar or any of its Charactors._

**Lessons Learned, Lessons Lost**

They flew most of the day. Everyone seemed comfortable riding on the huge bison's back, but he couldn't help feel a little uneasy. How did they stay on this thing? He had been gripping the saddle with his right hand for most of the ride, but they acted as if all the swaying and dipping motions were nothing to worry about. What if he fell off? Of coarse that would be no loss for them. Maybe it was all part of the plan. He just knew that he would be happy once they landed on solid ground.

Katara scooted over next to him. "How are you holding up?" she whispered.

"I'm ok." He lied.

"Well, you know this isn't the first time you've ridden on Appa." She said. He looked at her questioningly. She smiled and said, "Back at the north pole…after I slammed you down onto the ice…of coarse you were out cold…and we were going to leave you behind until Aang made us take you with us…"

"It's coming back to me now." He said through gritted teeth. "You had me at a disadvantage though. I didn't have the luxury of flying a bison over the snow and ice. I had to walk it, with the Avatar on my back. I was a little tired"

"Well you were the one who took him and besides I kicked your butt fair and square."

"You wait until I feel better and we'll see who kicks whose butt."

"Enough talk about butt kicking over there." The earth bending girl spoke up. "Save your energy for that crazy sister of his."

"I can deal with Azula." He said in a low voice.

"Yeah, you've been doing such a good job of it so far." Sokka added.

He glared back at Sokka, "You know for someone who possesses absolutely no bending abilities at all, you sure have a lot to say about those of us who do."

"I don't need to bend. I rely on my skills as a fighter and a thinker."

"Well it's amazing that you're still alive." He shot back. "In fact it's pretty amazing that you can make it out of bed in the morning without getting killed."

This drew a laugh from the earth bender. "He's got you there Sokka."

"Thanks for the loyalty, Toph. I manage just fine. In fact I can remember some times that I've gotten in a few good licks. Katara and Aang aren't the only ones who've gotten a piece of this guy."

It was Katara's turn to laugh now. "Yeah like that time on Kyoshi Island when you fought him off wearing that pretty dress."

"Hey that was a warrior's uniform… it was the only way I could train… and besides it takes great skill to fight in a dress!"

Zuko snickered as the two girls let out enormous belly laughs.

"Boy I miss all the good stuff." Toph snorted. "Sokka in a dress. Maybe Aang isn't the one I should be calling twinkle toes around here!"

"I am not that way." He shot back. "In fact Suki thought I was rather charming."

"And who was Suki. Some guy from the village." Toph laughed again.

"No as a matter of fact she was a warrior. She's off fighting the Fire Nation now." He stated and looked at Zuko. "Everyone we care about is out fighting off the Fire Nation."

With that the playful banter ended. Zuko looked down and tried to ignore the silence. All around him for the past few months he had witnessed the devastation caused by the Fire Nation. All the innocent people who had been hurt. All the families that had been destroyed. He was sick of it. None of it made any sense anymore.

"_The world needs you now as much as it needs the Avatar. Defeating the Fire Lord is only a part of the changes that must come. The world has been in turmoil for a hundred years. Wrongs have occurred that will not be easily forgiven. It will take a strong leader to bring the Fire nation to the peace table. And it will take a leader who understands the cost of war and the need for peace and harmony amongst the nations. You will be that leader Prince Zuko. You must help the Avatar bring about peace."_

A voice spoke to him from his deepest memories. It was wrong to pin the hopes of the world on him, much less on that of a young monk who had yet to fully come into his powers. It would take much more strength than he possessed to fix this mess. The anger in this little group of friends was proof of just how difficult that would be.

Aang landed Appa in an opening within a forest. Katara helped Zuko down by herself. Sokka was still too angry after their conversation during the trip. When they were playfully teasing Sokka, she could almost forget the pain brought on by the war, almost. Sokka drove the point home very hard. They had lost so much over the past few years. Their mother was dead, their father was off fighting in the war, and their village was almost wiped out. It was foolish to think that all that could change just because she desired peace. Still she would not give up hope. Aang would save the world. He had to. And Zuko, she thought, he was the heir to the Fire Nation throne. He would be the next Fire Lord; he could change things if he wanted. The reality of that thought made her head swim and she swayed on her feet for a moment.

"Are you ok?" Zuko asked concern in his voice. "I know that you haven't slept in days. Why don't you let go. I can handle myself from here."

Let go, she thought, right now he was all that was keeping her up. The next ruler of the Fire Nation. She had never thought of him that way. He had always just been Prince Zuko, pain in their side. After all he wasn't much older than they were. How could he rule an entire nation? "It's ok, I'm fine. We don't have much further to go and then you can lie down…"

She suddenly felt faint. Maybe he was right. Maybe she was tired. She tried to finish her sentence, but the words wouldn't come. Suddenly it was dark and she felt herself falling.

"Katara! Katara are you alright. Katara?" Zuko's voice called to her.

"Back off Zuko!" Came Sokka's voice, "Katara! What did he do to you?"

She opened her eyes and looked at her brother. "I'm fine. I guess I was just a little more tired than I thought."

"Well you are going to bed right now. Let me get your sleeping bag and we'll leave you be. I'll keep watch over the prince tonight."

He stormed off to find her sleeping bag. She was alone again with Zuko. "I'm sorry," he said. "You've taken such good care of me that you've neglected yourself. You're brother is right to be concerned. You should get some sleep"

His voice was so gentle. She had to be dreaming because Zuko never talked in a gentle voice to her. He was always angry and when he wasn't angry they were fighting. Fighting, she was so tired of fighting. She looked at him and smiled. "See, being nice isn't so difficult." With that she passed out.

She lay sleeping in his arms while he waited for Sokka to set up her sleeping bag. _Being nice isn't so difficult,_ she had said before falling asleep. Why was it so hard for him? He didn't want to struggle with everyone. It was like Lee from that Earth Kingdom village a few weeks ago. He had liked Zuko just fine until he found out who he was. Then everything had changed. People disliked him instantly because he was from the Fire Nation, but even within his own homeland he was an outcast. He really didn't belong anywhere. Especially amongst this close knit group. Of course they had good reason not to like him.

He thought back to the battle in the North Pole. She had put up a good fight. In fact if he hadn't been so angry at the time he would have been pleased to have such a worthy opponent. She had beaten him in the end. Sure he was tired and sore. It had only been days earlier that Zhao had tried to kill him. Surviving the explosion had been painful enough, but swimming through those frozen waters to the fortress had almost been the death of him. He had been exhausted, but that was no excuse. She had a right to feel proud. She had learned a great deal in a very short period of time. She defended her friend with everything that she had.

He gazed now at her face. So peaceful in sleep, but when she was awake he knew that she could be just as temperamental and hotheaded as he was. They were a lot alike in that regard, but she also had a kindness to her that he seemed to lack, a kindness that he wondered if he would ever find.

"Ok let go of her. I've got her space all set up." Sokka said and then lifted her from his arms. "You know I don't know why she's so nice to you. In the end you're just going to let her down."

Zuko looked at her brother, but he had no smart comeback to what he had said. He knew he would hurt her too. That was the way of things. He would take the avatar as soon as the chance presented itself, but only after he had found his uncle. Nothing else mattered at this point in time.

Sokka started off with Katara and then turned and looked back at him. "Why don't you make yourself useful and make a fire. You can do that can't you?"

Zuko gave him a glare and spread his right hand open in front of him. Instantly a flame sprang to life. "Ok, well good work. Now if you can just transfer that to some actual wood and stuff we may have a way of keeping warm tonight." Zuko extinguished the flame and set about to gather wood. Walking was getting easier. Soon he could leave. The sooner the better, he thought, being around the Avatar without being able to capture him was beginning to really grate on his nerves.

Sokka stared at Zuko as he slept. He hated having him here. Why did they have to stop where they had that night? Why not just a little farther down the road? Now they were saddled with the prince and it was just a matter of time before he did something to Aang. Katara was too trusting. Always the mother, she thought she could change anyone with a little care and affection. She treated Aang as a child and now she was bent on mothering Zuko. Well Aang was one thing; Zuko was an entirely different situation. Aang was just a boy, but Zuko was almost a man. If Katara wasn't careful she was going to lose her heart, if not her life. He was dangerous, more so than Jet. Katara had seen through him pretty easily. The guy had been just a little on the crazy side. But Zuko was cool and calculating. He knew what he was doing and he was very determined to capture Aang. There was no nice way out of this mess.

He sat in silence brooding about the situation when he noticed Zuko tossing and turning. Having a bad dream, he thought, and then smiled. Good! I hope you have plenty of bad dreams. The Fire Nation had been the source of many nightmares for his people; it was good to see a little payback. Zuko continued to fret in his sleep when suddenly he yelled out and sat up. He sat there breathing heavily for some time, unaware of Sokka's presence. Then he turned towards the fire and catching sight of Sokka he jumped.

"I have that effect on people." He said. "That must have been some dream you had there."

"It was no dream" Zuko replied in a strained voice. He ran his right hand through his hair, let out a heavy sigh and continued, "Sometimes reality is a lot more frightening than any nightmare."

"Like you've had anything to be afraid of being sheltered all your life in a royal palace. Your every need met by servants." Sokka replied with a tone of bitterness in his voice.

Zuko sat in silence, staring at the fire. After a while he spoke. "You know you're not the only person to go through hard times. I've had losses as well, but you don't hear me whining about it every chance I get."

"Who's whining? The fire nation is responsible for my mother's death. Do you know what it's like to loose your mother? She died right in front of us. She never had a chance. The fire Nation soldiers killed her and never looked back. I think I have a right to hold a grudge."

Again silence. And then, "You don't know anything about me."

"Well I know that you've got a crazy sister that's out to kill you, a father who's banished you, and an uncle…" he paused when he noticed Zuko wince, "well actually you're uncle's kind of cool."

Zuko stared at him for a moment and then back to the fire. "I don't need to share with you about my life. My problems and miseries are my own. Nothing I say will ever change how we feel about each other, so it's probably best if we keep away from each other as much as possible until I can leave… which will hopefully be soon."

"That's fine by me." Sokka replied. "But I'll warn you just this once, if you do anything to hurt Katara, after all she's done for you, I will save your sister the trouble and kill you myself."

"I have no desire to hurt her. Besides she's a big girl. She can take care of herself despite you." With that he rolled over away from Sokka's gaze. Fine he thought. Just make sure you don't make me have to carry through on my threat.

Zuko lay there in the dark thinking over his conversation with Sokka. _What did he know of suffering? _He knew plenty. All a person had to do was look at the scar on his face to know that he knew pain. But he wasn't about to justify himself to that water tribe peasant.

His mind drifted back to his nightmare. He was once again back in the Fire Nation. Back again at the agni kai that left him disfigured. He had lived that moment over in his dreams many a time. The pain, the frustration, and the shame played out over and over again. He knew what it was to suffer. He knew what it was to experience loss. He too had lost his mother. He hadn't seen his father for over three years. He wasn't even allowed back in his own country. Not until he had captured the Avatar. He knew pain, but he would be damned if he would use it as an excuse to hate others. He had brought most of his suffering on himself and so in silence he would bear it.

**A.N.** I started this story during that horribly long break between _Bitter Work _and_ The Library/ Desert. _Zuko seemed like he was making so many changes and his charactor development was great. I find him to be so interesting and so complex and I am trying to keep as close to who he is as I can. I have been seriuosly tweaking what I have written to make sure that it is good enough and true enough to charactor to post, but this is fiction and I have to take some liberty with the charactors as they develop throughout my story.

I want to thank all of you that have reviewed the story. You made my day! The insights were helpful as well. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I hope to submit more soon.


	7. Chapter 7

_Standard disclaimer applies_

**Better Left Unsaid**

The campsite was quite when he woke the next morning. As he glanced around he noticed that Katara was still asleep. Good, he thought, she needs her rest. He could also see the Avatar curled up on the ground next to his bison. He then noticed that Sokka had also fallen asleep. At least he wouldn't have to deal with him for awhile. It was then that the earth bender spoke up, "I guess Sokka thinks I'm a big enough girl to handle you if you try anything stupid. Looks like I'm your babysitter until he wakes up."

"I don't need anyone to watch over me. I'm not going to try anything. I just want to get out of here so that I can find my uncle."

"Yeah well that's not how Sokka sees it. I guess all those times that you've attacked them in the past and tried to steal Aang have kind off clouded his judgment." She replied sarcastically.

He stared at her for a moment. He didn't know how to take this new member of their little group. The fact that she was blind was surprising, but for her to be teaching the Avatar earth bending, she must be a master. The thing that was odd was that she didn't act blind. She knew her way around their surroundings and she would respond to people as if she could see them. In fact she knew he was awake and he had not even gotten up from the ground yet.

Finally he spoke, "I did what I had to do to capture the Avatar."

"Well it would seem to me that you're not very good at it. I mean how many times have you found him only to lose him again?"

Her words angered him. "You don't know anything about that. You weren't there. I have always fought him well. It just seems that luck has always been on his side."

"I wouldn't call it luck. Maybe Aang just possess more skill and cunning than you." She shot back.

Her words infuriated him. She knew nothing of the situation. He had always fought hard for the Avatar but the circumstances always seemed to favor the small monk over himself. As his anger rose over her comments, he could feel himself losing control. She was a smart mouthed little girl and at that moment he wanted nothing more than to give back some of the insults. "What would you know of skill?" he asked heatedly, "you're nothing but a little blind girl. It's amazing that they would even want to travel with you. The thought of you watching over me is laughable." He said as he rose to leave. "After all how are you even going to see me if I try to escape with the Avatar? I can't imagine you being of any use…"

His words died on his lips as the ground shifted under his feet causing him to fall. He came down hard on his left side and the pain shooting from his broken arm caused him to yell out. "I don't need to see you," She replied "your footing, your breathing, even the beating of your heart give you away. Not that you seem to have a heart."

Slowly he got to his feet and faced her. He was so angry that his head hurt. He would show her just how much skill he possessed. She wouldn't even know what hit her. He got into a fighting stance and looked at her. It was then that the impact of what he had said to her earlier hit him. He could tell that she was angry, but there was something else there as well. He had hurt her. He knew he had sunk low when the words past his lips but he was so angry he didn't care. Now looking at her he could see just how much his words had bothered her. Suddenly he felt like a heel.

"Well, are you going fight back or what?" she shouted at him.

He lowered his arms and bowed his head in shame. She may be blind, but he knew she was extremely good in a fight. He had seen her battle Azula. It had been wrong to lash out as he had. "I don't want to fight you." He said.

"Why is that? Afraid a poor, defenseless, blind girl is going to beat you?"

"No." he replied. "I just… I didn't mean … I shouldn't have said what I did. It was wrong. Your words just angered me. You can't begin to know the lengths that I have gone through to find the Avatar. I have lost everything I had from my life in the Fire Nation in my attempts to bring him to my father. My honor hinges on his capture. Whenever I come close to catching him he manages to slip out of my grasp. Even now, in his presence night and day, I am too weak to take him. The timing is never right."

His words seemed to surprise her. She lowered her guard and said, "So let me get this right, are you apologizing to me for being a jerk, because it sounds to me like that's what you're attempting to do? I mean you're still making excuses for why you can't capture Aang, but I do get the distinct impression that you are trying to apologize to me."

He gritted his teeth together in an attempt to keep from saying anything else that he might regret. She was infuriating. Here he was trying to be civil and she was just making fun of him. He stared at her blank expression when suddenly she began to smirk. He couldn't contain his feelings any longer. "You're making fun of me. Here I am apologizing to you and you're making fun of me!"

"Well that's because you make it so easy. I mean really you are way too serious. You need to lighten up. Laugh at yourself once in awhile." With that she smiled at him. Suddenly he felt completely foolish. She continued, "I mean really, I wouldn't make fun of you if I didn't think you were a talented bender and fighter. There would be no sport in it otherwise. I mean look at Sokka; for all his stupid, sarcastic remarks and his apparent laziness, he really is a good warrior. I never cut him any slack because I know that he can take it. I thought you could too, but if it hurts your feelings too much I'll stop."

"Nothing you can say could hurt my feelings!" he replied heatedly.

"Well good, because I really wasn't going to leave you alone anyways." With that she let out a laugh and suddenly he found that he couldn't help but smile back. He wasn't used to teasing like this. The only person who ever teased him before was Azula, but her teasing was genuine and meant to hurt him. This would take some getting used to, but then he remembered that he wouldn't be hanging around long enough to let that happen.

Once she finished laughing she said, "You know we've never been formally introduced. My name is Toph of the Bei Fong Family." The last she said with a haughty air to it. She put out her hand to shake.

He approached her and taking her hand he said, "Prince Zuko, pleased to make your acquaintance" He bowed low over her hand.

She giggled and replied, "Oh royalty. Well your highness, would you care for some breakfast?"

"Food would be nice" he said.

We've got some mangos if you'd like."

"That would be great." He said and taking the fruit he sat back down. They were quiet for a moment and then she spoke.

"You know you're not the first person to underestimate me because I'm blind."

"Hey look, those remarks I made earlier were out of anger. I know you can fight. I was there at the abandoned village when we all fought Azula. I've seen what you can do."

"Yeah well most people think that I can't take care of myself. They think because I'm blind that I need special care and attention. My own parents kept me hidden away from the world my whole life so that I wouldn't get hurt."

"Well you're their daughter. They just want to protect you. If I had a little girl, I'd want to do all that I could to keep her safe."

"Yeah well there's protecting and then there's smothering. They never let me do anything for myself. They couldn't see that I could take care of myself. I didn't need their constant attention. It drove me crazy."

"I can see how it would. Having people always trying to help has a way of making a person feel like a constant failure."

She started to laugh and he looked at her confused, "What's so funny about that?"

"Oh, it's just that your uncle said that I sounded just like you when I told him that I needed to do things on my own."

"When did you talk with my uncle?" he asked now even more confused.

"I met him that day we fought against your sister. We had tea together."

"You had tea with my uncle?"

"Yes I did. I was off walking, trying to cool my temper when I came upon him. He invited me to tea and we talked for a while. He gave me some good advice."

"Uncle has a way with giving advice, that's for sure." He said. He looked down at the food in his hand and realized that his appetite was gone. He missed his uncle and he worried about him. Please let him be alright he prayed.

"You really love your uncle, don't you?"

"He's all I have left in the world."

"He loves you too." She said. This caused him to look up at her. "He told me as much when we were talking. He worries about you and wants you to be happy. He mentioned that you two had parted ways, but that he had been tracking you in case you needed him."

"He was tracking me?" he replied stunned.

"He was looking out for you."

"He's been doing that for quite sometime now." He said softly.

"Well it's obvious that he loves you. You know it's funny though, when I was talking to him I had no idea who he was and that you were the nephew that he was talking about. In fact it wasn't until after your sister injured him that I realized who he was. I mean imagine my surprise when I realized that the nephew he was talking so lovingly about was the same person as the 'angry freak with the ponytail' that Sokka had been talking about earlier."

"Angry freak with the ponytail? Better to be an angry freak than a stupid idiot."

She smiled and said, "Yeah he can be stupid at times, but he's beginning to grow on me. Hey look, you really should eat something. If you're going to track down your uncle you're going to need all the strength that you can muster."

He looked at the mango in his hand. She was right he would need his strength. As much as she found it humorous that he needed to do things on his own, he knew that he would be on his own when he went to look for his uncle. In fact his uncle was the only person he had left on his side. Now that he was gone it was up to him alone to find him. No one else was going to help in the search. Alone, it always seemed that that was his destiny, to be alone. For once he felt the desire to have someone on his side, someone to confide in, someone to believe in him, someone to share the burden. But that wasn't going to happen. He was alone whether he wanted to be or not. That was just the way it was. The way it seemed that it would always be.

**A.N. **I was never really a Toph fan until after the _Library/Desert_ episodes. It's easy to forget that she is blind and when faced with it you realize just how powerful she is and you can appreciate her sacastic and biting sense of humor. She really has no history with Zuko other than the abandoned village in _The Chase._ I felt that she wouldn't harbor the resentment that the others had and that she would see Zuko as an easy mark, just like Sokka. Really he would be very easy to taunt!

Anyways this chapter sets the stage for the next one. Zuko is feeling a strong desire to confide in someone, maybe to connect on some level. So it's finally on to Katara and Zuko!


	8. Chapter 8

_I do not own Avatar or any of its charactors._

**An Uneasy Trust**

Katara woke to the noon day sun warming her face. She stretched her tired muscles and let out a yawn. She couldn't believe that she was still tired. Slowly she opened her eyes and focused on her surroundings. The camp was quiet and still. Where was everyone she thought? She turned her attention to a log on the opposite side of the fire from where she lay. Zuko sat there in silence, staring into the embers from the fire. Brooding was more like it. That boy needed to smile more. From what she had seen yesterday he could be quite cute when he smiled.

Augh! She thought to herself. He's Prince Zuko. Remember the guy that's been making your life miserable for the past year. He was not cute. Cute was for koalters, all soft and cuddly. Zuko was definitely not soft or cuddly. She shook her head to clear it and then looked up again at him. To her horror he was looking right at her like she was crazy. Well she was crazy to be thinking along this train of thought.

"Good morning." He said softly. "I hope you slept well."

She stifled another yawn and then smiled. "I can't complain. It seems like I slept forever. Where is everyone?"

"I think they got tired of waiting for you to wake up. Your brother finally fell asleep. The other two are somewhere practicing earth bending. I guess I'm still considered harmless because they left you in my care."

She couldn't believe that she was blushing again. He must think she was an idiot. She sat up and spoke. "So you look good today… I mean better than yesterday…well you know you're sitting up and all…" She quickly shut up before she could embarrass herself any further.

He smiled and said, "I feel better. I'm finding that I can get up and walk for awhile without tiring out too much. I think that by tomorrow I may be able to start looking for my uncle."

She could feel her heart sink at the last comment. Tomorrow, that was so soon. She was finding that she enjoyed having him around. "Oh, well I'm glad for you. I mean I know that you want to find him as quickly as you can."

"I've already lost too much time as it is. Anything could have happened to him. Once before when the Earth Kingdom soldiers caught him they almost crushed his hands with rocks so that he couldn't bend anymore. What if they try something similar?"

"That's horrible," she said and shuddered at the thought. "Your uncle is such a sweet old man. It would be sad if something like that happened to him."

"I don't think that the Earth Kingdom would share your view of my uncle. Years ago he held siege to Ba Sing Se for six hundred days. That's a long time."

"Why did he stop?"

"His son, my cousin Lu Ten, was killed in battle. After that my uncle lost his desire for war and conquest. He abandoned the siege and returned home."

"That's so sad." She replied. They sat in silence for a moment and then she spoke up again. "Too many people have died in this war."

"I know." He replied. "I have seen more death and sadness in the past few months than I care to see for the rest of my life."

"Then put a stop to it. You could if you wanted to."

"And how am I supposed to do that? I'm not exactly in any position to sway the nations of the world towards peace."

"Not now but someday. Someday you'll rule the Fire Nation. You could put an end to the fighting once and for all."

"That's a pretty lofty notion considering that I'm banished. The only way to my throne is through the Avatar. If I bring him back I'll restore my honor, my father will welcome me as his son again, and I will rule the Fire Nation upon his death. Without him I am nothing."

"How can you say that? I don't understand this whole honor thing? What kind of a father would banish his own son and then make a task, that for a time was impossible, the only means of return? What could you have possibly done that was so horrible that you would be banished?"

His face grew hard and angry and she wondered if she had gone too far. "My past is no concern of yours! My father had every right as Fire Lord to banish me. I brought shame upon him and my family. I've deserved everything I've gotten."

He rose from the log and started to pace. "You don't understand my people or our ways. It is not for me to question my banishment, but I will do as he says. I will bring the Avatar to him to prove that I am worthy to be his son."

"But you can't believe that that's the right thing to do. Aang is our only hope for peace. If you turn him over to the Fire Lord all chances for peace will be destroyed."

"It doesn't matter what I think. I have a duty to bring him to my father. That is the only way that I can go home."

"It's wrong Zuko and you know it. Deep down inside you know that it's wrong."

"You don't know how I feel. You don't know anything about me. I will not change my mind on this. I have lived in dishonor for too long. I want to return home. I'm tired of running."

"You would sacrifice the needs of the world for your honor? Because that is what you would be doing if you turn over Aang to the Fire Lord. You would destroy any hope for peace!"

"Then so be it!" he yelled. "I want my honor back."

"You can't regain honor through a dishonorable act." She said softly.

He looked at her with an intensity that she had never seen before in his eyes. Maybe she really wasn't as safe as she thought with him. After what seemed an eternity he looked away.

"I just want my father's respect." He said. "I just want his…"

Love, she thought. But he was silent. Slowly he sat back down. She rose and went over to where he sat. Kneeling down in front of him she looked into his eyes again. The fierce look was gone. Instead he looked almost defeated. Again she asked, "What did you do to earn this punishment?"

He looked down and was silent. He seemed to be wrestling with his thoughts when suddenly he looked up at her and said in a whisper soft voice, "I spoke out against one of my father's general's plans to use a whole battalion of new soldiers as a diversion. He was willing to sacrifice those men. I thought it was wrong. By speaking so I insulted the general in front of the whole war room."

"That's it? For that your father banished you?"

"No, it goes much deeper than that. I spoke against the general, but it was my father's war room. In effect I had disrespected my father, not the general. I was to be held accountable for my actions though, an agni kai was called."

"An agni kai, what's that?"

"It's a fire duel. I agreed to the duel thinking that I would fight the general, but I was wrong. When I faced my opponent it was not the general, it was my father."

He grew silent. Katara's head was reeling. His own father was going to fight him in a duel? "What did you do?"

"What could I do? I couldn't fight my own father. I begged for his forgiveness and mercy. He gave me neither."

"What did he do?"

"This," he said pointing to his scar. "I refused to fight and I was punished. He banished me for my weakness and sent me away. I was not to return until I had the Avatar. For two years I looked for him and then finally I found him. So many times I have come close to returning home, only to have it snatched away. I need him to regain my honor."

"Zuko, you never lost it. Sticking up for those men was honorable. Your father should have been proud to have a son who fought for the people. You did nothing wrong."

"Maybe in your eyes, but it is his opinion that matters. I cannot return home without the Avatar."

She looked at him with tears in her eyes. How could he not see the good that he had done? How could he be so blinded by this need to please his father that he couldn't see how he was being used? A man who would do that to his own son was no man at all. She knew that Zuko was deluding himself. His father would never accept him; Avatar or no Avatar.

He looked away from her and said, "Don't look at me like that."

"Like what?" she asked.

"With pity in your eyes. I brought my punishment on myself. I have no one to blame but me. I knew the consequences for losing the agni kai when I entered the arena that night. This scar is a reminder to me to know my place. I will not be so rash again if given the chance."

Tentatively she placed her hand over the scar. She could feel him stiffen from her touch, but he didn't resist. He turned towards her and she could see the anguish in his eyes. "That scar should be a reminder to you of just how far you were willing to go to protect your people. You shouldn't be ashamed for standing up for them."

He grabbed her wrist with his right hand and lowered it to her side and looking into her eyes he said, "How you feel about this has no effect on the outcome. I cannot regain my honor without your friend. Someday I will capture him and return home."

Before she could stop herself tears began to roll down her cheeks. She didn't know who she was crying for more, Zuko or Aang. It was at that moment that she heard Sokka's angry voice from across the campsite.

"Hey, what's going on here? Katara are you crying? What did you do to her?"

Zuko dropped her hand, stood up, and took a step back. "It's ok Sokka," she said. "He didn't do anything."

"Then why are you crying?"

"It's nothing," she said. "I'm just being emotional."

"Emotional!" he exclaimed, "I think it's a lot more than that Katara. Did he hurt you?"

"No!" she yelled at him. "Prince Zuko has been the perfect gentleman."

He approached them and got right in Zuko's face. "You better not forget what I said last night. The threat still stands. So back off!"

"Sokka cut it out!"

"No, its ok. He should be concerned about you. After all families need to look out for one another." Zuko said. "You never want to disappoint the ones you love."

And with that he walked off. She knew he was hurt and she wanted to go to him, but Sokka stood in her way. "Let him go Katara. You are only asking for trouble if you get caught up in his problems."

Too late Sokka, she thought. Too late.

**A.N. **So there it is the infamous "Zuko reveals the story of the agni kai!". It had to happen at some point (Actually if that old fart from _Zuko Alone_ knows about it, everyone must by now!). I hope this explained the need for the 'Toph' chapter before this one. I just wanted him to feel the need to confide in someone - of coarse Katara is the only logical person.


	9. Chapter 9

_Standard disclaimer applies._

**Time to Think**

Zuko stormed off into the woods. You fool, he thought to himself. How could you tell her about the agni kai? He had never told anyone about it before and he had never planned to until today. What was it about her that caused him to open up? He had let her see way too much in the last two days. If he didn't know better he would have to say that there were times in which they were actually flirting with each other. And then today, she had gotten him to open up about his past and worse she had made him begin to question his father's actions. What if she was right? Could he really regain his honor through a dishonorable act? Was it so wrong to give the Avatar to his father? He knew what would happen once he did that. With Sozen's comet on the way his father planned to destroy the other kingdoms of the earth. With the Fire Nations' power at it's greatest it would be easy to defeat their enemies, especially if the avatar was out of the way.

If he turned over the boy, his father would destroy him. He thought of the young monk. He was just a child. How could his father harm him? Yet he himself hadn't been much older than the boy when his father left him permanently disfigured. If he could be so cruel to his own son one could only imagine what he would to this boy that stood in the way of complete victory for the Fire Nation. He thought back to the time when he had rescued the Avatar from the prison hold and Admiral Zhao. In the end the boy had saved him, but it wasn't that that haunted him ever since. It was the sad way that he had asked if Zuko ever thought that they could have been friends if they had known each other a hundred years ago. At the time he thought no, but now he wondered. He thought of the elements and how they worked together. He had been around people from all the other kingdoms and he was finding himself appreciating their differences more and more. What if he let the Avatar be? Was his honor that important? Katara made sense. He was willing to sacrifice the needs of the world for his own.

All these thoughts and feelings overwhelmed him. Everything he had believed was being turned upside down. He was confused and needed to talk with someone. Only that someone was his uncle, and his uncle was no where around. He must sort through this own his own. Meditation; he needed time in meditation to clear his mind and restore order and balance.

Aang left Katara, Sokka, and Toph back at the camp. Apparently Zuko and Sokka had had another argument and the prince had stormed off into the woods. When he hadn't returned Katara began to get anxious. They were preparing to leave soon and Sokka was threatening to leave Zuko behind. She pleaded with Aang to reason with her brother, but Sokka wouldn't budge. Finally Aang agreed to go in search of the prince. Actually he was looking for an excuse to be alone for awhile. The last few days had been so crazy, and what he really needed was some time away from the others to meditate and sort through his feelings. Having Prince Zuko here had caused a lot of challenges to their small group. While Sokka distrusted him completely, Aang wasn't sure if maybe this wasn't a blessing in disguise. He thought back to that day in the forest after Zuko had rescued him from Zhao. He had been tired. Thinking of his past friends he spoke wistfully to Zuko about being friends as well. Zuko answered back with a fireball and seemed to put an end to that, but still Aang couldn't help but wonder. He felt somehow connected to the prince in a way that he hadn't felt with any other person since he was found. Somehow their paths were intertwined in a way that went beyond hunter and prey. He felt in his soul that somehow he needed Zuko to carry out his mission. Somehow Zuko was the answer to the issue of peace. Aang could restore balance amongst the elements, but maybe it was Zuko who would restore harmony amongst the nations. The thought made him laugh out loud. Zuko restoring harmony, he was way too angry and temperamental to bring about peace. The guy had no idea how to relax.

He had barely processed that thought when he came across Zuko. The prince was sitting in front of a small fire. His eyes were closed and his breathing was steady. Meditating, Prince Zuko was meditating! Unbelievable! No one he traveled with could appreciate his need for solitude. They considered his meditation to be just some quirky thing that he did because he was a monk. But it went so much deeper than that. It was during meditation that he could clear his head and sort through the events of the day. Problems were much easier to solve and his mood was always calmer after he had sat for a while. He never would have pegged Zuko as someone who meditated. Suddenly a memory sprang into his mind from their first encounter at the South Pole. He remembered Zuko mentioning meditating and training during his years preparing to capture the Avatar but at the time Aang was a little distracted by the fact that the prince was terrorizing his new friends and trying to take him back to the Fire Nation. He hadn't really thought about it since, but here Zuko was quietly lost in his thoughts.

Quietly Aang sat down on the other side of the fire. He stared at the prince for a moment longer. Zuko seemed so different from that first encounter. He was still temperamental and aggressive, but he seemed more patient than in the past. Not that that meant he didn't still have a short fuse. Aang had seen the prince's temper flare over the past few days, but he also saw things that he never thought he see or hear for that matter. The fact that Zuko was willing to apologize when he was out of line was amazing. The first time he heard him apologize to Katara he about fell over. It seemed that that royal snobbishness was wearing down slightly, not much, but still it helped keep peace a little better.

As he continued to stare at the prince he also noted the physical changes in the teen. Sometime after the North Pole Zuko had cut off his pony tail. Aang knew what that meant; the prince was truly outcast from his nation. He had cut his family ties. He was alone now except for his uncle, and no one knew if he would ever see him again. Aang had noticed the wanted posters after they had left Omashu. It surprised him to see Zuko and his uncle's pictures posted right aside his, Jeong Jeong's, and the Blue Spirit's. He found it kind of humorous that the Fire Lord's son was probably the most wanted man in the world twice over. Of course there was a big difference between being wanted as the Blue Spirit and being wanted as the banished prince. The Blue Spirit was an unknown. He could stay hidden behind the mask. But Prince Zuko couldn't hide from who he was. Even with the pony tail gone and the hair grown back, he still bore that scar on his face. There was no hiding that and it made Zuko an easy mark. Besides that Zuko had a way about him. Dressed in the clothes of an earth kingdom peasant, he still carried himself as royalty. He was proud and aloof and Aang thought that no amount of time or circumstance was going to change that. It was who he was and how he was bred to be. Still those qualities had to make life on the run hard to bear. It almost made him feel sorry for the prince, almost.

Suddenly Zuko opened his eyes and looked at Aang. His gaze was unreadable and as he continued to stare at him without speaking, Aang could feel himself becoming uncomfortable. Not able to bear the strange silence any more he quickly blurted out, "We're getting ready to leave…Sokka wants to go now and threatened to leave you behind...I volunteered to go get you because …. Well because Katara was getting a little worried and… so here I am and here you are and… well I didn't mean to disturb you but we really need to go so…"

Zuko finally spoke, "I was trying to clear my head. Being around the four of you has not been easy. No one ever leaves me alone. I am constantly barraged with comments about my past and suggestions about my future. Do you know what it's like to have people in your face every minute of the day giving you advice on how to live your life? It's very annoying."

Aang let out a laugh, "Well that's the joy of communal living; everyone in everyone's business. Try living with about a hundred monks of various ages. Peace and tranquility was not always attainable if you know what I mean."

"Well I'm more of a loner. All this togetherness can be a little much."

"Yeah, I guess it could be, but you know you can't blame everyone for their opinions and feelings where you're concerned. I mean up until four days ago you were still chasing us. In fact it's not really clear what you plan to do once you are well enough to leave."

"I need to find my uncle. That is a priority. After that I assume that I will come for you again. I need to bring you to my father. I have no choice in the matter; it is the only way to restore my honor; the only way that I can return home. It's nothing personal. But I am tired of this chase. I want to return home and time is running out."

"Time is running out," Aang replied. "If I don't master all four elements before Sozen's Comet returns I may not be able to restore balance. The world could remain in chaos forever."

Zuko looked at him with a pained expression. "I want this to end as much as you do. I really do, but my hands are tied. You don't know what it's like because you never had a father, but I need to do this. I need to make him respect me again."

Aang felt sorry for the prince. It seemed as if everyone knew that nothing would change between Zuko and his father except Zuko. Turning him over wouldn't make a difference. Yet Aang responded to the statement, "I may not have known my parents but I had a monk that was very close to me. He loved me as a son. His name was Gyatso and he cared for me and taught me all I know about air bending and about life. When I was told about being the Avatar it was Gyatso that protected me from the other monks who wanted to take away my freedoms. In the end they were going to take him away from me. I left the air temple rather than face them. That move probably saved my life but I lost him forever. He died at the hands of the Fire Nation. He was a great man with a gentle spirit who never would have harmed anyone. Yet Sozen's armies destroyed him and all the others just to make sure that I was dead. Your father will stop at nothing either. He will kill all of us; me, Sokka, Toph, and Katara."

"Stop it!" Zuko yelled. "No more mind games. Each of you is trying to wear me down. Just leave me alone. I can't do anything now anyway. I need to find my uncle. Consider yourself safe for the time being. Now if you don't mind I'm heading back to camp to say good bye. I can't be around you and the rest of them anymore."

He stormed off and Aang wondered if he would really go. He wasn't in the best shape to be on his own, but then Zuko was the most stubborn person he knew. He would find a way to rescue his uncle even if it nearly killed him. Regardless of what his decision was Aang knew that they would be leaving soon. He stood and started back to camp.

**A.N. **In response to a recent review, this chapter was written some time ago, but I revised it and added more dialog. I think it works alot better than my original. ( I did laugh when it was suggested that Zuko and Aang should talk since I already knew it was coming).I wanted to include everyone in the story because all the charactors work so well together. I do think that Aang and Zuko could have a relationship if Zuko could overcome his need to capture Aang (big obstacle to friendship!).

I also want to thank all those that have submitted reviews. Some have been real instrumental in helping me shape my story. I have done some serious rethinking and fine tuning to the already existing chapters waiting to be uploaded and have started adding new ones to round out the story better.


	10. Chapter 10

_I do not own Avatar or any of its characters._

**Words to Regret**

Appa was almost loaded when Zuko returned to camp. She let out a sigh of relief. If he had stayed away any longer Sokka was going to leave him behind. She smiled as he approached but it faded quickly when she got a good look at him. He walked slowly, with a slight limp and the expression on his face was pained.

"What happened?" she asked concerned.

"Nothing" he said through clenched teeth. "I guess I over did it a little on my walk."

"Well come sit down and rest for a moment."

"We don't really have the luxury of waiting any longer Katara. His sister is probably hot on our trail and we've already lost a lot of time today." Sokka yelled in her direction.

"That's ok." Zuko replied. "I'm not going with you anyway. You can leave whenever you wish."

"Well then let's go" Sokka said with a little too much excitement in his voice.

"No Sokka," she yelled back, "He's not staying behind." She turned to Zuko. "We can't leave you. You're still not well."

"I'm well enough" he said. "After another night of sleep I'll be fine."

"Zuko, you don't have to do this."

"Do what?"

"You're pulling away. I'm sorry about earlier. I promise not to pry anymore. Your business is your own, but you really need to give yourself more time."

Anger flared in his eyes and he yelled at her, "Stop treating me like I'm some little kid. I've been on my own for some time now and I've survived worse than this. I appreciate all you have done for me but I don't need your help anymore!"

She could feel the tears spring to her eyes, but she held them back. Anger surged through her and she met his glare. "Don't you dare talk to me like that. I do not treat you like a child. I have only shown you compassion and we all know you don't really deserve that. After all you have put us through we should have left you behind to die."

"I never asked for your help little miss compassionate. No one told you to heal me with your water bending."

"No, no one did. In fact everyone was pretty much against it. Maybe I should have just left you to die. Or better yet left you behind for you sister to finish off. No wonder she wants you dead. You're such an arrogant, hotheaded, jerk! Living with you had to have been unbearable!"

"As if being with you that last two days has been a picnic." He shot back.

"At least I know when to be grateful. At least I can appreciate when others are being nice to me."

"Well sorry that I can't be as perfect as you. You would never be ungrateful towards others. In fact you're just the model of womanly virtue. Soft spoken, slow to anger, always calm."

"Oh and you're just the perfect gentleman aren't you. You would never do anything as rude as tying a girl to a tree as bait, or hunting her down with a fierce animal, or even blasting her with fireballs while trying to steal her friend."

"I haven't done anything to you that you haven't deserved." He said in a quiet voice. "I would never mistreat you without a good reason."

"Without a good reason! What could possibly be a good reason to treat me badly. I never did anything to you. Never! Augh! Sokka was right. You are a big jerk!" To drive the point home she put both hands against his shoulders and gave a push. He let out a muffled groan and fell back. Too late she remembered his broken arm.

"Oh Zuko, I am so sorry. I forgot about your arm." She put out her hand to help him up, but he slapped it away.

"Don't do me any more favors" he said in a low voice. He rose slowly to his feet. She felt miserable about losing her temper. Why couldn't she keep her cool around him. Frustrated now she could feel the tears she had held back start to run down her face. She looked down trying to avoid his gaze, but it was too late. He had seen her tears.

"I guess you could add 'overly emotional' to your list of insults as well." She said and then choked on a sob.

"I'm sorry Katara. I shouldn't have lost my temper like that. Please don't cry." He brought his hand up to her face and using the sleeve from his shirt he wiped her tears. Then he started to smile. "I guess I should have used something a little cleaner. Now you've got dirty smudges instead of tears."

She smiled in return and tried to wipe her tears with her hands in an attempt to clean up. "Better?" she asked.

He stared at her for a moment and then replied, "Yeah. You look fine."

Sokka's voice loudly called, "Ok enough! Can't you two even fight without it turning into some sappy moment. Come on Katara. We need to go. Say goodbye to prince charming and let's get out of here."

She looked at Zuko and pleaded, "Please come with us."

"It's better if I don't "

She stopped herself short before she really made a fool of herself. "Ok then I guess it's goodbye."

"For now." He replied.

"Yeah, for now." And then a thought came to her. "You know before we found you we were heading to Ba Sing Se. That is where you're headed isn't it?"

"Sort of."

"Well then wouldn't it be in your best interest to continue on with us. I mean Appa is pretty fast, faster than traveling on foot."

He seemed to consider, when Sokka interjected. "Katara, stop it. You heard the nice prince. He wants to be alone. It would be rude for us to force him to come along with us when he clearly doesn't want to. No matter how much we'll miss him. "

Zuko looked at Sokka and she could tell that he was thinking it over. Maybe his desire to tick off her brother would be greater than his desire to stay behind. After a moment he responded in a loud voice meant for Sokka to hear, "You know I would hate to let your brother down. I know he really enjoys my company."

Relief spread through her and she grinned. "No we wouldn't want to disappoint Sokka, would we."

"No, really it wouldn't disappointment me that much if he stayed behind."

They both walked towards Appa, ignoring Sokka's pleas. He was coming with them. There was still time to change his mind about Aang. In her heart she thought that maybe there was time for them as well. No idiot she chided herself. He is not what he appears to be. This guy is too much for anyone to deal with. But still she couldn't help but feel excited that he was staying with them a little time longer.

Once again they rode in silence. After the exchange between himself and Katara everything had been awkward. He should have stayed behind. He realized that now that he had had some time to cool down. He had made the decision while he was meditating earlier. He really needed to be free of them, free of Katara to be more specific. He still couldn't believe that he opened up about his banishment with her. He had never told a soul before. But yet she had gotten him to talk. And to make matters worse he had felt a sense of relief. It had felt good to be able to confide in someone. But that confidence had made them grow closer. He couldn't afford to get too close to anyone now, especially her.

He closed his eyes and thought back to the first time he had seen her, back in the South Pole. He had terrorized her village looking for the Avatar. He could remember the fear in her eyes as well as those of the other women and children. Is this what his life had come to, he thought, terrorizing women and children? Had the Avatar become so important that he would stop at nothing to find him? He remembered her words from earlier: tying her to the tree as bait, hunting her down with the shirshu and of coarse the battle at the North Pole. They had had their moments hadn't they? But that was the way it was with them. When he was around her he found himself doing things that he would never do to other girls. But she was not like other girls. She was tough and fierce when she wanted to be, at other times though she could be so temperamental and aggravating. He admired her sense of loyalty and her compassionate nature. She had protected her new friend no matter what the cost and she had treated him with great care and concern even though he knew he didn't deserve it, but that was her way he realized. She was willing to give him a chance, even though he had been horrible to her in his quest to bring the Avatar home. It was a chance that he knew he didn't deserve, yet he found that he wanted.

Of course accepting her kindness would mean having to hurt her in the end. Eventually he would have to leave. If he stayed too long Uncle would die. He had to find him soon. He knew he still needed time though. Today had been painfully obvious to him. Just that short trek into the woods had exhausted him. When he did leave he would not have the luxury of a flying bison to carry him to his destination. He didn't even have the ostrich horse anymore. He would have to walk and walking would take forever. It made sense to stay with them as long as they were headed to Ba Sing Se. When the time presented itself he would go. Of course once he had his uncle he would return again and this time there would be nothing to keep him from taking the Avatar.

**A.N. **I realize that Katara is crying in just about every chapter so far, but you know how it can be. We all have our emotional weeks. Enough said.

Anyways the next few chapters will see Katara back in true form.


	11. Chapter 11

_I do not own Avatar or any of the charactors._

**A Quiet Meal Together**

They settled into camp before sundown. The mood was still very somber and quiet. As she prepared dinner for them Katara thought back to her earlier argument with Zuko. She shouldn't have let herself lose her control like that, but he could make her so angry so quickly. Why was that, she thought? Why is it that whenever I'm around him I don't know whether to laugh with him or ring his neck. He was so different from every other guy she knew. At first he had always seemed so angry. His need to capture Aang drove him to go to incredible lengths causing him to do some pretty mean things to them over the past few months. In fact she had never known someone so single minded in his determination. Yet after their conversation this morning she could start to understand why he was like that. She had gained new insights into his character that she would never have thought existed. She had always seen him so one dimensionally. She never stopped to think of his life before. The Fire Nation had always been the enemy. It was hard to picture them as having families and homes just like the people from the other nations. Yet he had had a family and then in a moment he had lost it all. His pain had been so clear on his face as he recounted the story of the agni kai. How horrible that his own father would disfigure him and then worse send him away on a mission that was seen as futile. It was obvious to her that the Fire Lord never intended for Zuko to return home. She wondered if Zuko realized that as well.

She had promised Zuko not to pry into his past but she really wanted to know more. She knew that she was treading on dangerous ground. The more she learned about him the more she felt closeness with him. If she wasn't careful she might find herself falling for him. No stupid, she chided herself that would be disastrous. But still she couldn't help but want to be with him.

She roused herself from her thoughts as she finished the meal. "Food's ready!" she called to everyone. It didn't take long for Sokka to come over with a plate ready to eat.

"It's about time Katara, I'm starving."

"You're always starving" Toph interjected as she came up to the fire.

Katara served their meals and then noticed that Zuko hadn't gotten up. He was looking away lost in thought. She prepared a plate for him and brought it over to where he sat. "Food's ready. I thought you might be hungry."

He looked up a little startled by her words. "Oh, I'm sorry I was just thinking about things. I didn't hear you." He reached out and took the food from her. "Would you like to join me?" he asked in a soft voice. He sounded sad as if something were troubling him.

"Of course I would. Let me get my food and I'll be right back." She went back to the fire and prepared her plate. As she stood to leave Sokka spoke in a hushed voice. "Where are you going?"

"Zuko asked me to sit with him."

"Katara I don't think that that would be a good idea. You two are already getting too close for my comfort. He still is the enemy, remember?"

"Sokka I'm fine. Just relax ok. I'm a big girl and I can handle myself." With that she walked over and sat next to Zuko on the ground.

"Is everything ok with you and your brother?" he asked.

"He's fine. He just needed to remind me to be on my guard. You know I _am_ fraternizing with the enemy." She replied with a little giggle.

He looked at her with a serious expression on his face. "You know Katara you shouldn't just brush your brother's words of caution aside. He's right to be concerned about you."

She looked at him and said lightly, "I don't think that you're going to do anything to hurt me right at this moment."

"I've hurt you in the past" he replied," What makes you so sure that I won't do it again?"

His expression was so serious that she was momentarily taken aback. "Zuko, we do have quite a history when it comes to hurting each other. Over the past we have really gone at it, but I think for the moment we can call a truce. Don't you?"

His expression softened just a bit. "Yeah, a truce would be nice. I'd like that."

She gave him a smile and then said, "Well then eat up. The food is safe."

He laughed at her remark and started to eat. For awhile they ate in silence and then he spoke. "You know I wanted to apologize about this afternoon. I had a lot on my mind and I just kind of snapped."

"I was a little out of line too," she returned. "It's just that sometimes you can really make me mad."

"I can make you mad! The same could be said about you." He teased. "You are not the easiest person to get along with."

"Oh and you are the model of friendliness and good cheer." She laughed.

"Hey I'll have you know that my easy going nature has made me many friends over the past few years. I mean look at Admiral Zhao, he and I got along famously."

"Yes well he was a little crazy. In fact he was a lot crazy. I always wondered what happened to him."

Zuko looked pained and the teasing banter stopped. "The Water Spirit took him at the North Pole. I tried to help him but he refused. In the end he let it take him."

"Why would you try and save him. He was a horrible person. He could have destroyed the balance of the entire world."

"I can't explain it. I knew he was crazy and I really hated him, but I couldn't just let him die. It's funny because moments before we had been fighting. I would have gladly killed him, but somehow that was different. I mean he had tried to have me killed just a short time before. I wanted payback."

"What do you mean he tried to have you killed? You're the prince of the Fire Nation. I would think that killing you would be treasonous."

"Not the way Zhao saw it. He discovered that I was the Blue Spirit and decided that I was the traitor and should die."

"_You_ are the Blue Spirit!" she said amazed. "How could that be? I mean _you_ rescued Aang from Zhao?"

"Yeah that was me. I thought that the Avatar would have told you."

"He never said that he knew who it was, least of all you. I can't believe you rescued Aang from being turned over to the Fire Lord."

"Well I did." Zuko said. "But I didn't do it out of sense of honor. I couldn't let Zhao take the Avatar. I helped him escape so that I could return him to my father."

"But it didn't quite work out like that."

"No. In the end it was the Avatar who saved me. He found out who I was after I had been knocked out. He could have left me to Zhao, but he didn't. I never understood that. He should have left me."

"Aang would never do that. He cares for people too much. He knew what Zhao would do to you so he took you with him."

"Well in the end Zhao discovered it was me. He hired the pirates from that market to blow up my ship. They gladly agreed."

"He blew up your ship!"

"With me on it. I was lucky to have escaped with my life."

"Unbelievable." She said.

"Yeah, well our history went back way further than that. We actually dueled shortly after I discovered that the Avatar had returned."

"You and Zhao fought an agni kai?"

"Yes we did and I won."

"But I never noticed any scars on…" she stopped herself before she said it, but she could see that it still hurt him.

"That's because in the end I couldn't do it. I had him beat and I could have left him just as scarred as I was, but I couldn't. The memory of the pain of my burn will live with me forever. I would never want to inflict that on anyone."

"How did he take the defeat?"

"Not well. He tried to attack me when my back was turned. My uncle stopped him. He said that I showed more honor in my exile than Zhao did as a Fire Nation Commander."

"Your uncle was right" she said.

"Thank you." He simply replied.

Again they ate in silence. When they had finished he turned to her and said. "Here let me take your plate."

"Oh it's ok I'll get the dishes."

"No really, let me do it. You made the meal. Let me show my gratitude by cleaning up for you."

"Alright if you insist, but I'm just a little curious to see how you're going to do that with just one arm"

He smiled at her. "Well I posses many talents that you haven't seen. I guess you'll just have to come with me and observe for yourself."

She found herself smiling at him. "I'd hate to miss it. But I'll tell you what; I'll collect up the other dishes and meet you over by the stream. That way the entertainment can get started quickly."

"You're on." He stated and started to walk away.

If she hadn't known better she would say that they were flirting with each other. No, not flirting, she never flirted and she couldn't believe that Zuko would even know how. But still she had a hard time hiding the silly grin that spread all over her face as she thought about it. She collected the other plates and was headed to the stream when Sokka stopped her.

"What exactly do you think you're doing?"

"Well let me see, I've got dirty dishes from the meal and I'm heading off towards the stream, I'd say I'm going to go wash up after dinner."

"Yeah funny, but I just saw Zuko head in that direction as well. Somehow I can't believe that he's going to help you."

"Oh he's not, Sokka. He's going to do it himself."

"Sure he is, by himself, broken arm and all."

"Yeah, that's what's going to make it fun to watch. Come on Sokka, it's not everyday that royalty washes your dirty dishes. And since you never volunteer to help, I guess I just have to stick with Zuko."

"Very funny Katara, but I think you're missing the point. I've said it before and I'll say it again, you are getting way too close to this guy and he is going to hurt you."

"He can't do much more than he's already done. Come on Sokka, lighten up. I can deal with him."

"Katara you are playing with fire."

"Well it's a good thing that I'm skilled in water bending then. Any fires he starts I'll just put out."

"Not funny, Katara. Please use a little common sense here."

She started to get a little annoyed with her brother. "I'm not the one who acts before he thinks. In fact I'm pretty responsible. I can handle Zuko just fine." With that she turned and walked off towards the stream. Brothers, she fumed, they think they know everything.

He knelt down at the water's edge and placed one of the plates in the shallow water. Using his right hand he rubbed at the leftover food on the plate. He looked up as Katara approached and he noticed that her playful expression from earlier was gone. He wondered if he had inadvertently done something to make her mad.

"Something bothering you?" he asked a little hesitantly.

"Oh, it's just that brothers are such idiots!" she said angrily.

"Well in the case of your brother I would have to agree."

A smile crept on her face and she said, "Augh! Sokka's not really an idiot he just makes me so mad. He acts like I can't think for myself. If I have to hear any more warnings from him about being careful, I think I'm going to scream."

"You know your brother is not one of my favorite people, but I can tell that he cares about you. If he's concerned it's probably with good reason."

"Good reason!" she exclaimed as she laid the rest of the dirty dishes next to him. "I have never given him good reason to doubt my judgment."

"Never?" he inquired as he laid the first cleaned plate on the grass by the stream... "I seem to remember a time when you stole that scroll from those friendly pirates. That could have got you killed and it almost cost your friend his freedom."

"Enough about the scroll. They were pirates. They tried to kill you. You should be the last person defending their rights. And let's not forget that it was your desire to capture Aang that led the pirates to our camp anyways. Besides it's my judgment where you are concerned that he is always questioning. Maybe I should just listen to him and leave you alone to your work." She said rather hotly.

You should listen to him, he thought to himself. Again he questioned what he was doing with her. He shouldn't be here. He shouldn't encourage her, but his selfish desire to spend time with her seemed to override his better judgment. "Whoa, slow down Katara."

"Yeah, slow down when it means I might leave you with all the work."

"The work I intend to do by myself. It's the company that I don't want to lose." As soon as the words came out of his mouth he could have kicked himself. Don't sound like such a wimp. Don't plead with her to stay.

Her cross expression instantly changed to one of surprise. She seemed like she was going to say something and then thought better not to. He noticed a faint blush color her cheeks and then she looked down.

Still feeling foolish for his last comment, he found that he was at a loss for words as well. Quickly he picked up another plate and turning back to the water he started to wash it. He felt embarrassed. Why was he getting so tongue tied around her. After all he was royalty. He was used to being around important people from all over the Fire Nation. Making conversation was never difficult. But with her it was different. She was actually making him nervous.

He finished the next plate and was about to set it down when he sensed Katara kneel down next to him. Silently she put out her hand to take the plate from him. He handed it to her and as she took it their eyes met. She smiled at him and he couldn't help but smile in return.. He then went back to the task at hand. Slowly and silently they finished the dishes. He sat back and let out a deep breath. The chore had been harder than he would have thought, but he had done it. He noticed that she too had sat down.

"Thank you for your help." He said. "That was a little more work than I expected."

"Hey I should thank you. No one else around here ever thinks to help out with the cleaning. Somehow its always left to me. It's nice to have willing help." She replied. From her light tone he could tell that it really didn't bother her that much. In fact it seemed as if this little group ran pretty smoothly with everyone for the most part sharing in the responsibilities. Maybe that's why he had wanted to help out tonight. It made him feel included, like he belonged in some way. But he really didn't belong he reminded himself. Even if he wanted to, they would never accept him.

Slowly he started to rise. "We should get back to camp."

He noticed her expression change again. She almost looked disappointed. "Well if you want to go back to camp, I guess we could. I just thought that you wanted to talk some more. I mean after that comment earlier I just assumed…" She cut herself off and stood up rather abruptly. Grabbing the plates she said in a more brusque voice, "you know you're probably right we really should head back."

"Katara," he said and then stopped himself.

"Yes?" she looked up with a hopeful expression.

Once again he was tongued tied. "I do enjoy your company. I mean you're different than I thought you would be."

"Different? How is that?"

"I don't know I just thought you'd be a little more irritating."

"A little more irritating! A little more irritating than what Zuko? I mean if we want to talk irritating I think you might take the prize."

"That's not what I meant. You're twisting my words!" he replied heatedly. "And just what is that supposed to mean that I would take the prize. I am not irritating."

"Oh really? You have an unbelievable ability to show up at the worst possible moment and then harass us mercilessly. You are like a bad headache that won't go away no matter how much you want it to. I would call that pretty irritating!"

He stood with his mouth open. Words wouldn't come. How had he gotten into this? "Look," he finally said, "I didn't mean to insult you. Actually I was complimenting you. I thought you would be irritating, but you're not. It was a compliment. You just took it wrong."

"A compliment? Being told that I'm not as irritating as you thought I would be is a compliment?"

"Yeah… well sort of… I mean…" with that he turned away from her. Once again he had made a mess of things. Why couldn't he just say the right thing around her? Nothing ever came out the way he intended it to. Suddenly he felt the sting of water smacking him on the back of the head. He turned to look at her with anger in his eyes. "What did you do that for?"

"You deserve it for being such a jerk!"

"A jerk! I was just being honest, but you know I'm beginning to think that maybe I was wrong." As he spoke he covered the distance between them and getting right in her face he said, "You are a _lot _irritating!"

"Back off Zuko." She said with anger in her voice.

"Why should I back off? You started it."

"I started it!"

"Yes, you hit me in the head with a water whip."

"And you called me irritating."

With that she backed up a step to get away. Forgetting her footing on the creek side, she started to slip backwards. Instinctively he put out his hand to catch her, but the force of her fall pulled them both into the water. He landed on top of her in the shallow water. Instantly they made eye contact. Suddenly all his anger gave way to a new feeling. As their eyes held he said, "Katara that all came out wrong."

"Really?" she replied rather breathlessly.

"Yes I was trying to compliment you; it's just that when I'm alone with you I get…well nothing comes out the way I intend it to."

"Oh" was her simple reply.

As he watched her mouth form the word he felt a heat start to warm him from within. Without thought he started to lean in towards her lips. When he got within inches he spoke softly. "Really, I just wanted to say that I enjoy being with you."

"Oh." She said again.

"Yeah really." And then instinctively he brought his lips to hers in a kiss.

As soon as Zuko's lips met hers Katara felt as if a jolt of electricity was coursing through her entire body. His lips felt so good against her own. They were so soft and warm. It was hard to believe that with these same lips he had uttered such insulting words only moments before. Of coarse all of that was forgotten as soon as he leaned in for the kiss. She would never have imagined that Prince Zuko could be such a good kisser.

Prince Zuko, she suddenly thought. She was lying in a shallow stream kissing Prince Zuko, her enemy for almost the past year. Instantly her eyes flew open and placing her hands on his chest she gave a push. He fell back with a grunt.

"Why did you do that?" he asked in a somewhat dazed voice.

"You're Prince Zuko!" she exclaimed, as if that would explain everything. He looked at her as if she had lost her mind.

"Ok we both know who I am, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"We were kissing!"

"Another obvious fact." He replied beginning to sound a little terse.

"Well I can't kiss you…you've chased us all over the world …you're trying to capture Aang… besides Sokka would freak if he saw us together kissing…I would never hear the end of it…"

"Enough!" he said and started to rise. "I get the point. Look I just got a little carried away ok?"

"A little carried away?" she asked, then thinking about it she said, "Of coarse that's it we just got carried away. I mean it's only natural." She let out a nervous laugh and then looked down. The dishes were scattered at her feet in the water. She had dropped them when she fell. She leaned down to pick them. As soon as she had collected them she stood up and started to get out of the water. Zuko stood on the bank waiting for her. "I guess we should head back to camp."

He nodded his head, but remained silent. Quietly they started on their way. As they got nearer to camp she said suddenly, "I think it would be best if we didn't mention this to anyone."

He turned and looked at her, but his expression was unreadable. "Whatever you say." He responded.

"And I should probably bend the water out our clothes or they'll wonder why we're all wet."

"I guess." He responded tersely. They stopped walking and using her bending she dried their clothing.

"Alright then, I guess we'll just keep quiet about it; kind of like it never happened." At that he stiffened and looked at her. "What!" she asked feeling uncomfortable under his gaze.

He continued to stare at her and then nodding his head he said, "Fine!"

With that he continued on, no longer waiting for her to catch up. She stared after him feeling completely confused. He agreed with her about keeping quiet, yet he now seemed mad at her. She couldn't win with him.

When she reached camp he was already laying out his blankets and preparing for bed. Sokka met up with her and said, "So I guess he left you with the dishes after all."

Glaring at him she shoved the clean plates into his hands and said, "No Sokka, not everyone is as lazy as you, but if wouldn't tax you too much maybe you could pack them away for me." With that she turned and stomped over to her sleeping bag. She sat down and looked over at Zuko. His eyes met hers and then he rolled over to his right side, giving her his back. Yeah, he was mad. Well he shouldn't be, she thought. In actuality it was she that should be upset. After all _he_ kissed _her_.

At the thought of that kiss she could feel her cheeks flush. She still couldn't believe that he had kissed her. And it had been a good kiss. Her first real kiss if you didn't count that one with Aang in the tunnels on the way to Omashu. Aang was more like a brother to her. She had just let the whole story of the two lovers get to her. It was a momentary lapse of judgment. But Zuko was something else entirely. With Zuko she had felt tingly all over, like every nerve in her body was awake. Her response to him scared her. Maybe that was why she acted like a complete idiot when she realized it. Augh! No wonder he was mad. She had really blown it with him. She stared at his back. Why did he have to be so complicated? And why did she have to start having feelings for him? After all he was still the enemy wasn't he? No, she thought, he stopped being the enemy four days ago when she healed him. No matter what she would never be able to look at him that way again.

**A.N. **This is the last of my prewritten chapters. I completely rewrote it from the start of the dish washing scene. They kissed in the original one as well but it was more mushy after that and I liked the tension that this slant on the story creates in the future chapters that I am working on. I hope you enjoy it.


	12. Chapter 12

_I do not own Avatar or any of its charactors._

**Confusing Times**

They rose early the next morning and loaded Appa for flight. It had been agreed upon two days ago that since Azula was on their tail they would need to take an alternate route to Ba Sing Se to try and avoid her. A little more time in the air was preferable to a battle with Azula and company, yet Zuko thought that after only a few hours up a battle would be quite nice. The mood was very tense as they flew. Sokka was still mad that Zuko had decided to stay. The Avatar seemed a little apprehensive after their conversation the previous day, and Katara was avoiding him like the plague. In fact the only person talking to him was Toph and that had been nothing but sarcastic remarks and more teasing. He did not feel like teasing today. He was pretty angry about the incident with Katara the night before and what he really wanted to do was hit something.

He glanced at Sokka and smiled. Maybe he could just _imagine_ hitting something or more so someone. He tried, but the pleasure just wasn't there. And really it was Katara that he was mad at. No even that wasn't true. It was himself that he had been kicking all morning. He had been such an idiot to have confided in her. He had just wanted so much to talk with someone and her compassionate nature seemed perfect for that. Of course he had misread the entire situation and then last night he had made a total fool of himself by kissing her. How had that even happened, he thought. They had been arguing. Arguing! Then before he knew it they were in the water and he was kissing her. It was as if his body had a mind of its own. It was just that when he looked at her at that moment in the water all his rational thought went out the window. He just knew that he wanted to feel her lips against his and he went for it. And it had been great. He would have be content to have stood there kissing her all night. Of course she put an end to that real quick. He was so humiliated by her words and actions that he had wanted to crawl away. But he was a prince of the Fire Nation, he would not crawl away. He stood his ground but he was so angry that he couldn't speak. He should have known better than to open up to anyone. Trust no one was his rule, and he had broken it. Now he was dealing with the repercussions.

"Hey Aang," Toph yelled, breaking him from his thoughts. "Do you think that we could stop for a potty break and maybe a little lunch. I really need to feel the earth under my feet for awhile!"

"Sure I guess." The air bender replied. "I think we could spend a little time on the ground."

Aang landed Appa in a clearing of trees. As soon as they landed Toph ran off to find some privacy and Katara busied herself with the task of putting together a light meal for everyone. Zuko found that he was too irritated to eat. "I need to go for a walk." He said to no one in particular.

"Well don't wander too far." Sokka replied. "We wouldn't want to have to leave you behind."

Yeah like you need an excuse, Zuko thought to himself. He continued walking until he came to an open area of rocks and dirt. He was feeling pretty rested so he thought maybe he could run through some basic forms. Besides he needed to release some of this energy before he exploded. With his mind and body focused on the task at hand he began his workout.

They sat around camp silently eating lunch. Zuko had not returned, but Sokka didn't mind. Maybe he would stay away for good this time. Of course his luck wasn't that good lately where Zuko was concerned. The prince was really beginning to annoy him. It was bad enough to have his bad attitude bringing everyone down, but now Katara was acting moody as well. Something had happened last night when they were washing the dishes. Neither one of them was talking about it. Actually neither one of them had much to say about anything. This was crazy. He was about to say something when Katara finally spoke.

"We should get going soon, don't you think?" She looked at Aang.

"I guess, but you know Zuko's still not back."

Katara remained quiet and Sokka thought that maybe, just maybe she would say leave the prince behind, but instead she replied, "Well I guess someone should go find him."

"Not me!" Aang quickly responded. "I went to find him yesterday. Have Sokka go get him."

Katara looked at Sokka. "Me! Why should I have to find him? By the way, yesterday he wasn't in such a foul mood. He might barbecue me if I come across him today."

Katara just continued to glare at her brother. "Fine! I'll go look for 'Mr. Royal Pain in my Side' but this is it. Tomorrow if he goes off to sulk we are leaving him!"

Angrily he stormed off into the woods to look for the prince. He was muttering to himself about Katara's strays and not putting up with this unfair treatment anymore when he came to a small clearing and found Zuko. The fire bender was bent over trying to catch his breath. From the distance between them Sokka could see that his clothes were drenched in sweat. What had he been doing, he wondered?

He approached him and said, "Hey Zuko, we're getting ready to go. You need to wrap up whatever it is you're doing and get moving or we're leaving you behind."

The prince turned and looked at Sokka. His face was pale, well it was always pale, but he had never seen it quite this white before. On closer inspection Sokka could see that Zuko was shaking. He appeared ready to collapse.

"Hey, you're not going to get sick or something are you?" he ask hoping that wasn't the case.

"No…I was just running through my basic forms…I guess I should have held back a little…I don't know I just feel…"

With that he fell to his knees. Sokka ran over and knelt down next to him. "Well maybe that wasn't the best thing to do. You know you're still recovering from nearly dying a few days ago."

"I felt fine when I started. I need to practice if I'm going to find my uncle." He said through clenched teeth.

"Well you aren't going to find him if you die from exhaustion first. Look we need to get back to Appa so that we can leave. Do you think you can make it if I help you to walk?"

Zuko sat back and looked up at Sokka. He knew it was killing the prince to need his help and part of him was enjoying that, but he also knew that they needed to get moving. Finally Zuko said, "Yeah, I should be able to make it with a little assistance."

"Well the actual word was help. Come on give me the pleasure of asking for my _help_." He then smiled at the prince while giving him his hand.Toph wasn't the only one who could make his life miserable.

Zuko glared up at him and swatted his hand away. "I will not beg for help from the likes of you!"

"Suit yourself, but it's a long walk back and you really don't seem like you're going to make it."

Zuko braced himself and then started to get back up. It was obvious that it was taking every bit of energy he had just to stand. Talk about stubborn, Sokka thought to himself. The prince managed to get to his feet and tried to take a step, but as he did he started to sway and then fall. Sokka caught him before he hit the ground. "You know you really are not going to be able to make it back if you don't let me help you." He said without the sarcasm this time.

Zuko looked up with him and with resignation in his voice he said, "Fine, I need your… help." With that Sokka lifted him up and they slowly made their way back to the others.

By the time they reached Appa, Zuko could hardly walk. He couldn't believe how tired he was. This was really frustrating. He shouldn't be so drained, he thought to himself. The forms he practiced were basic, nothing too strenuous. Sokka laid him down next to the bison and turned to Katara.

"Found him, now can we go?" he asked.

"What did you do to him?" she asked. He thought he heard concern in her voice.

"I didn't do anything. He did it to himself. Apparently he was practicing some fire bending forms and over did it."

"You know I'm right here," he said angrily, "I can speak for myself."

"Well go right ahead." Katara cut in. Nope, not concern he realized, she was still angry.

"Well…it was like Sokka said…I over did it while practicing my forms…"

"Oh for crying out loud!" she exclaimed. "The two of you are going to drive me crazy. And you," she said looking right at him, "I don't know what you were thinking. You are in no condition to be practicing anything right now."

"Don't talk to me like that. I'm not your idiot brother that you can push around. I can do whatever I please."

"Hey! Both of you cool it." Toph interjected. "This is really getting old. I don't know what is going on, but this is really starting to annoy me. Katara you need to just get out of his face and Zuko you need to stop pulling these stupid stunts. We all feel bad about your uncle. Believe me if I could I would help you find him, but you are in no condition to fight and if you don't cut it out you are never going to be. Now I want the both of you to make nice the rest of this trip today or I will have Aang pull Appa over and I will give you a reason to whine. Got that!"

Zuko looked at her stunned. Katara he noticed just stood there glaring at her, her mouth was moving but no words were coming out. "Fine!" she finally responded.

"Zuko?" Toph asked, "How about you?"

"You have got to be kidding." He shot back. Her expression changed and she lifted her hands towards the sky. Suddenly the boulder that Sokka was sitting on rose into the air. She moved her hands again and the rock jerked out from under him sending him crashing back down with a thud.

"Hey what'd you do that for! I wasn't the one fighting." He whined.

"Yeah, well eventually you would. And besides it felt good to do it." She then looked at Zuko. "Of course next time it will be you. Understand?"

"Fine!" he replied as well. "I'll play nice."

"Good, as long as we're all on the same page then let's go."

They loaded up on Appa and were off flying again. This is the weirdest group of people I have ever been around he thought as exhaustion overtook him. He closed his eyes for a brief nap and fell fast asleep.


	13. Chapter 13

_Standard disclaimer applies._

**The Challenge**

Katara finished dinner and called everyone to eat. Once again Zuko hung back and didn't come to the meal. She knew that he was exhausted from this afternoon, but she was not his personal servant. This was going to stop now. She called over to him a little louder this time, "Zuko, the meal is ready. You need to come grab a plate."

He looked up at her and replied, "I'm not hungry."

"Whether you're hungry or not you need to eat. You skipped breakfast and lunch and you need to build your strength." She called back heatedly.

His tone became hostile and he said, "When there is something worth eating I will."

She felt her temper boil over. Any self control she had was fading fast. Beside her she heard Sokka gasp and Aang stiffen. Toph let out a snort. "Are you saying that I can't cook?"

"I didn't say that. You did."

"I did not. You implied it. You know no one else around here is complaining."

"Well maybe they prefer the bad cooking over your shrewish attitude!"

"Now you're calling me a shrew! I am not a shrew. Aang do I act like a shrew?"

Aang just gave her a smile but before he could respond Zuko growled, "Leave him out of it. This is our argument."

"Oh this is an argument is it, because it seems to me like you lobbing a lot of insults at me?"

"I'm only saying what everyone else is feeling but is too afraid to say."

"Hey speak for yourself! I personally like my sister's cooking" Sokka interjected.

"That means a lot coming from a guy who ate slime off the walls of a buzzard-bee hive." Toph replied.

"What can I say, I was hungry and it looked liked food."

Katara glared at the both of them and then turned back to Zuko. He smirked and said, "I rest my case. If it looks like food he'll eat it. And your cooking does look like food."

She stared at him with her mouth open. He was unbelievable. She had been nothing but nice and he just treated her like dirt. With out thinking she grabbed a plate and filling it with food, walked over to where he sat. Standing over him she grinned and said, "Well if it's not good enough to eat then maybe it's good enough to wear!"

With that she dumped the hot food into his lap. In an instant he was on his feet and with his right hand he tried to wipe off the food.

"What'd you do that for?" He yelled, "That food is hot, Katara. You could've burned me."

"What's wrong Zuko? You can't take a little heat."

"You are crazy. You know that? Crazy!" With that he stormed off. He was headed in the direction of a small lake that was close to their camp. She stared after him. She could feel the heat of her own anger burning in her chest. Finally she turned back to the others. Sokka and Aang sat there staring back at her with their eyes wide and their mouths hanging open. Toph on the other hand was smiling. Suddenly she started to clap.

"Bravo Katara! Wow! Dinner and a show, can it get any better. It sure makes up for this whole day. I mean I don't know what is up with you two, but it is very entertaining to watch… well you know what I mean"

Katara glared at Toph, not that it made a difference. Sokka found his voice and said, "I gotta agree with Toph. That was the best thing I've seen in a long time. I mean pouring the food in his lap. This guy is the Prince of the Fire Nation and you're pouring a hot meal in his lap. And the look on his face was priceless. I much prefer this to all the goo goo eyes and flirting."

"Zuko and I don't flirt!" She said heatedly. We just kissed, she thought. And then she felt her anger leave her. Just yesterday he had opened up to her about his past and then he had kissed her. He had done nothing wrong, but yet she got all anxious and brushed him off. Now he was mad and she began to feel responsible for that fact.

"Well flirting or not, it's good to have things back to normal. Everyone hating Zuko." Sokka said and then stuffed more food in his mouth.

"Speak for yourself." Toph replied. "Personally I like Zuko. After all you are only good for so much material and then the teasing gets kind of old, but Zuko is like fresh meat. And he is so supersensitive that it's almost too easy to pick on him. Almost!"

Too supersensitive, Katara thought and then cringed. He was sensitive. She realized that she must have really wounded his pride the other night. But he had deserved it hadn't he? Just moments before he had been insulting her. Of course her sensitive nature didn't help either. Suddenly she became very embarrassed about her recent actions. She should apologize. Quickly, before she lost her nerve, she walked over to her things and got out the bar of soap used for all their cleaning, and started off towards the lake.

"Hey where are you going?" her brother yelled.

"Zuko is going to need some soap to clean his clothes properly."

"No, no, no, Katara. Don't ruin this moment for me, let me just savor the joy of seeing Zuko humiliated before you go and sap it up with your guilty feelings. Anger is good. Hold on to the anger… at least until I finish eating."

"Very funny Sokka. Not all of us are as uncivilized as you." She gave him a deadly glare and then continued on walking.

She could hear him in the distance reply, "You should try it sometime Katara. Being uncivilized can be a lot of fun!"

She shook her head and kept walking. In a few minutes she came to the clearing and searched the lake for Zuko. He was nowhere to be seen and she wondered if maybe he had just decided to leave. No sooner had she thought that then he came up for air in the middle of the lake. It was then that she saw his clothes lying wet on the sand. Zuko was naked! She felt a blush creep into her cheeks and she wondered if maybe she had made a mistake coming out here. She turned to leave when his voice came from the water, "Come to gloat. I'm really not in the mood to continue this right now."

"Turning back around she glared at him "Actually I was bringing a peace offering." She held up the soap. "I thought this would help clean the mess out of your clothes better than just the water."

He stared at her as she bent over to get his clothing. "Leave my things alone!" he yelled and then started to swim in to shore.

"I was just trying to help"

"You've helped enough for one day." He replied as he reached the shallow water and began to stand.

Quickly, with his clothes in hand, she looked away.

"Suddenly you're all shy Katara. Come on it's not like you didn't see me in my underclothes while you were healing me."

His underclothes? Of course he was in his underclothes. What was she thinking? Slowly she turned back around and looked at him. He was out of the water now and heading towards her. Involuntarily she felt herself blush. He might as well be naked. His underclothes were about as skimpy as Sokka's. Of course Sokka being her brother it didn't bother her, but on Zuko it was a little too much skin.

"I want my clothes back." He said in a low growl.

"I was going to wash them for you. You know a peace offering of sorts."

"I don't need any kind gestures from you. Trusting in your kindness has already burned me on several occasions."

"What are you talking about!" she replied. She could feel her anger started to rise again. "How has any kindness I've shown you hurt you? I mean if I hadn't healed you you'd be dead now."

"Yeah, like I'm not going to hear about that for the rest of my life."

Unbelievable! He was so ungrateful. She shoved his wet clothes at his chest and said, "Fine, you just go right ahead and wash these yourself, you ungrateful jerk!" And with that she started back towards camp. Suddenly she remembered the soap. Turning back she yelled, "Oh and you'll need this. Don't lose it though; it's all we have left for now." With that she threw it at him. Of coarse in her anger she threw a little too hard and high. Before he could react the bar of soap hit him in the head. She let out a laugh and then quickly clamped her hand over her mouth. He glared back at her and she could see steam coming from his nose. Steam, that couldn't be a good sign. She turned back around and prepared to run. Before she got very far she felt his hand grab her arm. Turning her around he put his face right up to hers.

"You are the most unbelievable…self righteous…bratty…tease!"

"Tease! You're calling me a tease!"

"That's exactly what I'm calling you. You act like you care about me. You get me to open up to you about personal things, things that I have never told another soul, and then when I get a little too close for your comfort you blow me off."

"I didn't blow you off!"

"What would you call last night? You wanted to act like it never happened. Am I that repulsive that you need to forget a simple kiss?"

"No, not at all. I just didn't expect it. I mean you are the last person I could have ever seen myself kissing…"

"Really! So what you'd rather kiss someone like …like …the Avatar over me?"

She blushed at the memory of her kiss with Aang. Suddenly his eyes grew wide and he let go of her arms. "You kissed the Avatar? He 's just a kid!"

"Yeah well it's not quite like that, but I don't need to explain myself to you. It's not like we're a couple or something. It just happened."

"So you just make a habit of leading guys on."

"I do not lead guys on. I have never led you on. I was being nice. I was giving you a chance because like an idiot I thought that you deserved one, but I guess that I was wrong."

He grew silent and then looked down. She could still tell that he was upset and she thought back to Toph's remark about him being so sensitive. "Look I didn't mean that. You just infuriate me sometimes. Everyone deserves a chance. I'm sorry if you misread my actions as anything else…"

"I don't think I misread anything. You enjoyed that kiss last night. I felt you respond to me. I think you just got scared because you did want it."

"You're full of it. I was just worried that Sokka might come along and get upset."

"Oh yeah like I couldn't take your brother. And besides no one came. We could have continued all night if we had wanted to, and I think that you wanted to."

"No I didn't!" she exclaimed. He was making her uncomfortable. Why did he have to be like this? The last thing she needed were feelings for him. Her life was complicated enough as it was. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to camp."

"I don't think so. I think you should prove it."

"Prove what?"

"Prove that it was just a fluke and that you didn't enjoy it."

"I am not going to kiss you to prove some point." She responded nervously. If they kissed she would be proven wrong. She knew her body would give her away. If that happened he would be impossible to live with.

"Fine, then I'll kiss you!" He said.

Before she could run he had grabbed her arm again and drew her in for a kiss. His lips were a little harder this time. She struggled against the kiss. Do not enjoy this! Do not enjoy this! She reminded herself over and over. But it was no use. The currents of electricity ran through every nerve in her body and she found herself making a little gasp against his mouth. She could feel his lips curl into a smile as he pulled her closer to him. Breaking from the kiss he put his mouth against her ear and whispered, "See it's not so bad, is it?"

Words escaped her for the moment. The sensations he was creating were unbearable. Just the tickle of his breath as he spoke against her ear sent chills down her spine. Without thought she responded, "No, I guess it's really not so bad after all."

Zuko smiled at her response to his kiss. Going through all his forms earlier in the day had done nothing to relieve the tension and anger like kissing her had. Holding her in his arms felt so natural to him and he wondered why she had fought it so much the night before. He realized that he could go on forever with her in his arms, but as returned to kissing her he felt her fingers brush along his bare back and the reality of the situation hit him. Suddenly rational thought returned. He was standing there practically naked, kissing Katara and enjoying it. Let alone how it would look to the passerby, he knew that it was wrong. If they didn't stop soon, he would not be able to keep a level head. She wasn't even of marriage age. He shouldn't be doing this. Quickly he pulled back.

"What's wrong?" Katara asked in a rather dazed voice. He couldn't help but feel a sense of male pride at her expression.

"We should really stop before this goes any further."

"Any further?" she questioned and then her eyes grew wide and she said simply, "Oh!"

"Yes well, I should probably get my clothes and wash them." He said awkwardly.

"And I guess I should return to camp" She replied.

Not like that he thought. Her brother would take one look at her and know what had been going on. "It might be better if you give yourself a few moments before you return."

She looked at him quizzically and then bringing her hands to her lips, she said, "Right, I see what you mean. Ok, I'll just wait until you're done and then we can head back together."

He walked back to the shore with his clothes in hand. Bending down he tried to wash them but it was a little more difficult than the dishes the night before. Suddenly he felt Katara's hand over his. "Let me do this for you."

She took the clothes from him and started to scrub them. With nothing better to do he sat back and watched her. What was happening between them he wondered? He had been so angry with her the previous evening and then all day they had been at each others throats. The closeness that they had shared yesterday morning had seemed to evaporate in an instance and he found that he missed it. How had she gotten past his defenses? He had confided in her things that no one but his uncle knew about. When he was with her he felt a desire to share with her about his life and he found that he wanted to learn more about hers. This whole situation was surreal. Just a week ago they were sworn enemies, and even now he wasn't quite sure where they really stood.

Suddenly she stood, drawing him away from his thoughts. "I finished", she said as she dried his clothes with her water bending. "Here you go."

"Thank you." He simply replied. As she turned to get the soap he started to dress. He had gotten the pants pulled up when she turned back around. Looking at him she began to frown. "Is something wrong?" he asked.

"Is that a burn on your stomach? Did I … is that from tonight?"

He didn't know how to respond. She had in fact burned him with the food, but it was no big deal. He had suffered worse. He remained silent.

"I am so sorry," she whispered. "Please let me take care of it for you."

Before he could respond she bent down by the water's edge and placed her hands in the lake. As she slowly removed her hands they were wrapped in water. The water began to glow and she moved her hands towards his abdomen. As her hands made contact with his skin he felt a tingling sensation and then coolness seemed to spread outwards from where she was touching him. Involuntarily he took in a deep breath and let it out again. She removed her hands and stepped back. The site of the burn was healed. He was amazed. He had never seen something like that before and he realized suddenly just how much she had taken upon herself when she healed him of his injuries days earlier. He felt like a heel for the sarcastic remark he had made moments before during their argument. She had an incredible gift and he was about to tell her so when he heard her brother's angry voice behind him.

**A.N. **Tension and kissing! Things are about to change and Zuko is in for some surprises. This is all new to me. My story was originally going in another direction but I am happier with the way it's going now. I hope you all like it and I will try to post soon. Real life is a little hectic right now, but the next chapter is in the tweaking phase!


	14. Chapter 14

_I do not own Avatar or any of its characters._

**The Past and the Present**

Sokka could not believe his eyes as he came into the clearing by the lake, Katara had been gone too long for his comfort so he had decided to go and see what was going on. When he found her she was with Zuko. The prince was half dressed and it seemed that Katara had her hand on his stomach. He hoped this was not what it appeared to be. As he drew closer he spoke up in an angry voice, "Just what is going on here!"

Katara jumped back and Zuko seemed to stiffen at the sound of his voice. "Sokka," Katara began, "Zuko was burned… I burned him with the plate of food… I was just healing him…"

"Well how convenient for him to have you around."

"Sokka I was responsible for burning him, it was only right that I should heal him." She responded.

Zuko turned around to face Sokka. "She was just being kind." He stated.

"Well Katara's kindness tends to get her into a lot of trouble, especially with guys that are willing to take advantage of it." He replied getting angrier.

Katara glared at him and said, "Sokka don't even go there. Zuko has done nothing to me. He has only returned kindness with the same."

He snorted at that remark. "What would you call the remarks over dinner? And how about the whole day for that matter. Obviously he did something that got under your skin."

"It was a misunderstanding" she simply replied. "We have worked it out."

"Yeah, well misunderstanding or not, I don't think you should be alone with him, especially when he's not even fully dressed." He noticed at that comment that she blushed and he became worried about just what really was going on. His sister did not have the best judgment when it came to guys. "In fact Katara I think you should head back to camp. Zuko and I need to talk."

"Sokka don't try to act like you're in charge of me. You are not dad!"

"You know when dad went away he did put me in charge of you. As your brother and the oldest male left in the household, I am responsible for you."

"I can take care of myself." She fumed.

"Well you may be a master water bender but you're still my little sister and I take my responsibility very seriously. Now I have let you be around this guy even though it went against my better judgment, but the time has come to put my foot down. Under no circumstances should you be alone with him. Especially like this. I mean he is a guy Katara, and guys have urges. And believe me he won't be above trying something if you give him any ideas."

Katara gave him a punch in the arm. "You have a sick mind!" she exclaimed. "And I am very capable of dealing with guys and their 'urges' thank you very much."

"I'm just giving you the facts little sister."

"Well big brother it's good to know that I have someone so full of wisdom looking out for me. What would I do with out you?"

He flinched at her words but still kept on. "No matter what you think or how mad you become I still want to talk to him alone. You need to get back to camp!"

She stood there with her mouth open. Zuko took that moment to finally speak. "Katara it's ok. Really you should listen to your brother. We should talk."

"Fine! You two _men _talk it out. I'm going to bed!" and with that she stormed off.

Sokka turned to Zuko. The fire bender was placing his broken arm through the torn sleeve of his shirt. He looked awkward as he tried to maneuver the makeshift cast that Katara had place on it earlier in the week. As he finished he looked up at Sokka and said, "So what do you want to talk to me about?"

Sokka didn't even know where to begin. The fact that he was standing with Zuko having a discussion about Katara was bizarre. This shouldn't be happening he thought. What happened to the good old days when Zuko was the enemy and Katara hated him as much as he did? "I want you to stay away from my sister." He stated.

"That's kind of hard to do considering the close quarters" Zuko replied snidely.

"You know what I mean. Katara is too trusting for her own good. It makes her an easy target. She's been taken advantage of before and I don't want to see her taken advantage of again."

"I would never take advantage of your sister."

"Yeah that's what Jet acted like before he used her in a plot to take out some fire benders."

"Who' Jet" he asked.

"Oh he was some crazy freak that hated the fire nation and would stop at nothing to rid his valley of every last one. Katara was taken with him and all his heroic actions, but in the end he used her and Aang to help him wipe out an entire earth kingdom village."

"I can't see Katara going along with any plan that would harm people, no matter how 'taken' she was with someone." The prince replied with a hint of anger in his voice.

"She didn't know what she was doing. Jet lied to her. He told her that the Fire Nation was going to burn down the entire forest .He claimed that she was helping the village by filling their reservoir so that they could fight the Fire Nation. But that wasn't true. In reality he planned to flood the entire village by blowing up the dam. He figured he could drown the Fire Nation soldiers and rid the valley of them once and for all."

"But weren't there Earth Kingdom villagers living there, wouldn't they drown as well?" Zuko asked.

"Jet saw them as necessary sacrifices. His hatred of the Fire Nation clouded his judgment."

"There is no honor in fighting like that." Zuko reflected bitterly.

"No there isn't. Jet was sick and he used my sister to try and kill all those people. In the end his plan was ruined. He still blew the dam and flooded the village, but I had managed to warn the villagers and the soldiers. They abandoned the village just in time."

Zuko stood quietly. Sokka watched the various emotions play across his face. Finally he spoke. "Katara would never have forgiven herself if his plan had been successful." He said softly.

For once Sokka agreed with the prince. "No she wouldn't have, she would have carried that guilt with her for the rest of her life. She cares about others; it is what makes her such a good healer. She would never willingly hurt an innocent. It makes what Jet did all the more horrible."

"So what happened to this guy?" Zuko asked.

"Katara and Aang found out about his plans before he blew the dam. They fought him and in the end Katara froze him too a tree. He still managed to signal his group to blow the dam though." Sokka grew quiet as he thought back to that day then he said in a harsh voice, "I have never seen my sister so hurt before and I never want to see that look on her face again."

"I would never use Katara to hurt anyone. I don't believe in sacrificing innocents to promote any cause."

"Oh really, well just what do you think is going to happen if you turn over Aang to your father? He's not going to throw him a party and then stop the war. Not only will Aang die but many more innocents. Haven't enough people died in this war? How many more people have to lose their lives before this ends? The Fire Nation kills indiscriminately. Innocents don't matter. People like Jet are just a product of a war that your father has no intention of ending. And with the Avatar dead there will be no one to stop him. You are much worse than Jet. You would sacrifice millions in an attempt to save your honor. At least Jet thought he was fighting for others. You are just fighting for your own selfish needs."

With that they both grew silent. He could tell the prince was enraged at his remarks but he didn't care. It felt good to finally say it. Zuko was selfish. His need to restore his honor drove him beyond rational thought. Sokka vowed that he would do anything to keep him from ever taking Aang, anything.

Finally Zuko spoke. Sokka could tell that he was having a hard time controlling the anger in his voice. "You have no idea what this war has cost me. You cannot even begin to understand all that I have lost. My honor is the only thing I can restore."

With that he started back to camp. Sokka stared after him. The prince just didn't get it. He wondered if Zuko would ever understand that handing over Aang would do nothing to restore his honor or earn him respect from his father. The prince was blinded by his needs. One thing Sokka did know was that he would do anything to keep Katara from getting caught up in his selfish plans.

_He was home again, in the Fire Nation, standing in his father's throne room. Beside him stood the avatar; his feet and hands were bound and his mouth was gagged. "Here he is father," Zuko spoke, "After all these years I have finally brought him to you."_

_The Fire Lord rose from his throne and smiled, but the smile was not directed at Zuko, it was directed towards the child beside him. "At last I have you. Now nothing will stand against me and total domination of the world!" With that he unleashed a powerful burst of flames. In a matter of seconds the Avatar was engulfed. Silently the boy suffered in tremendous agony, dying before his very eyes. In the distance he could hear his father's laughter. Suddenly he was standing in the arena where he had fought the agni kai against father. Around him he could see all the nobles and military that were present all those years ago. They were all laughing as well, but he knew that it was him they were laughing at. He had not restored his honor. He was still an outcast; ridiculed by all that were present._

_Realizing that he had sacrificed the Avatar for nothing he said softly, "What have I done?"_

_Behind him he heard his uncle reply, "What have you done Prince Zuko?"_

_Zuko turned to face his uncle. He was relieved to see him again, but the look of sadness and disappointment on his face sent a chill through to Zuko's heart. He had failed his uncle, the only person that really mattered. At that moment he realized that his uncle was truly the only person that he wanted to please. He had thought that his father's approval was so important, but now he understood that wasn't true anymore._

_"Uncle," he pleaded, "I had to do it to restore my honor. I had no choice."_

_"You always had a choice, Zuko. You just chose your honor over the needs of the entire world. Now all is lost. The Fire Nation will destroy everything. All that you have ever held dear will perish."_

_"Uncle, please, I thought I was doing the right thing. I never meant any harm."_

_His uncle stared at him sadly and it was in that moment that Zuko noticed the chains that bound his hands and feet; around him stood the Earth Kingdom guards that had captured him. The arena faded away and he was again in the canyon where he had found his uncle before the winter solstice. His uncle was once more bent over a large boulder. Above him, suspended in midair was an equally massive rock. The Earth Kingdom soldier released the rock. Zuko tried to run to intercept it as before but something held him back. He couldn't move. In horror he watched as his uncle's hands were crushed beneath the weight of the stone. "No!" he yelled out, but it was no use. The soldier lifted another rock and again let it fall this time crushing his uncle's feet. The soldier started to laugh, but it was not a man's voice. It was that of a girl, and he recognized that sound. It was Azula. She turned to him and smiled. _

_"I have Uncle and now I'm coming for you!"_

"No!" Zuko woke with a start. As he bolted upright pain shot through his left arm causing him to yell out once more. He could hear movement around him, but he was too bothered by the dream to care about whom or what it was. He sat there panting and trying to catch his breath. His heart was slamming painfully against his chest and he felt hot and flushed as the adrenalin pumped through his body. It had been a dream he realized. Just a dream, but yet it had seemed so real.

"Hey are you ok Zuko?" a voice asked him. He turned and saw the Avatar approaching.

"You're alive." He muttered, still dazed from the dream.

"Yeah, well last I checked." He smiled. Zuko suddenly felt nauseated as he remembered the horrible image of the boy being burned alive in his dream. He hugged his stomach in an effort to keep from getting sick. The Avatar drew close and looking at him asked, "Zuko, really, are you ok?"

"I just had a bad dream, that's all." He said between gasps for air. "I just need a few minutes."

"Well your bad dreams are interfering with my sleep." Sokka rudely interjected.

"Sokka shut up." Katara yelled in reply. "No one is asking you to stay up. Just go back to sleep." He could hear her footsteps as she softly approached him. Sitting down beside him she asked, "Would you like to talk about it?"

"I'd rather just forget about it." He whispered as he tried to calm his breathing.

"If that's what you want. I just think that sometimes bad dreams aren't so bad when you talk about them. They can lose their edge and don't seem so real anymore."

"The thing about it is that this dream was real." She gave him a quizzical look and he explained further, "It was about my uncle. I was back in the canyon where I found him before the winter solstice; you know the time I told you about when he had been captured before." She nodded her head and he continued. "Well they were going to crush his hands and feet just like before only this time I couldn't save him. This time they carried it out."

"Oh Zuko how horrible." She replied and placing her hand on his shoulder she said, "I'm sure that won't happen. I don't think they'll resort to such measures."

"No they'll just kill him instead." He responded bitterly. "I have to find him soon."

"Zuko, you're still too weak…"

"I am not weak!" He yelled. And then feeling her flinch he said softly, "I cannot let my injuries keep me from finding him. I have to help. I can't sit back and let him die."

"You know," Toph interrupted, "What I don't get is why we can't just help him find his uncle. I mean you all agree that you like the old guy, don't you?" Zuko looked up at their faces. Katara and Aang both nodded and Sokka gave a grunt. "Yeah, so what's keeping us from finding him and keeping him from the executioner?"

"Well how about the fact that as soon as we find him Zuko is going to turn around and try to take Aang back to the Fire Lord." Sokka stated.

Zuko cringed at the thought as he remembered the rest of his dream. He did not what to think about that now. He noticed that they all grew silent again. Finally the Avatar spoke. "You know Sokka you really insult me by saying that. I mean if I can't take Zuko while he's got a broken arm and can't fire bend without falling into a coma, then maybe I deserve to be captured." He then smiled. "I'm with Toph. There is no reason why we can't save Iroh from the Earth Kingdom soldiers."

"Ok Aang, you have officially gone crazy. This guy is the Fire Lord's brother. You know, General Iroh, the Dragon of the West. I think that these people have a good reason to be upset with him. I mean he did lay siege to their city for almost two years."

"Hey thanks for the history lesson Sokka, but that's really not the issue right now." Toph remarked. "The old guy needs help and prince charming here is pretty much worthless at this point."

Zuko glared at her and then remembering that she was blind he said, "I am not worthless. I can fight just as well as any of you."

"Yeah sure, whatever you say, but I seem to remember a certain someone needing to be carried back to camp like a baby yesterday afternoon because he had done just a teensy bit of fire bending. You're really going to be a lot of help in a bind." She replied.

He could feel his anger start at her remark. Suddenly he felt Katara's hand squeeze his shoulder. He turned and looked at her and she smiled reassuringly at him, then turning to her friend she said, "Really Toph, could you just lay off him for one night?"

"Oh come on Katara, you always have to ruin the fun."

"This is fun?" Sokka asked. "This is definitely not fun. This is insane. I think maybe someone's been drinking the cactus juice and it's not me."

Zuko looked at him questioningly. Once again Aang spoke up. "I say we help out. After all we're not too far from the main road. It really won't cost us too much time."

"No of course it won't. I mean what are a few more days. It's not like we don't have a deadline to make. I mean we only have until the end of the summer and then the Fire Lord becomes pretty much invincible. But hey why not take a side trip and rescue his brother. Maybe he'll be so grateful that he'll forget about world domination and want to be friends." Sokka replied sarcastically.

"Well as long as you agree." Toph laughed.

"Really guys this is the craziest idea yet. Honestly I can see Katara getting all worked up in an effort to help out the apparent underdog here. After all she's got a soft spot for brooding guys with sad stories but this is going to blow up bigger than the Jet fiasco and Aang I think you can remember the damage trusting someone you really don't know can bring."

Zuko looked to Katara. He noticed her tense at the mention of Jet's name. "Leave Jet out of this ok? Zuko is not Jet and this situation is different. I can't believe that you can be so callous sometimes Sokka. You saw how his uncle helped us at the North Pole. You were there when he attacked Zhao after he killed the moon spirit. He is not your typical fire bender and he needs our assistance. We should help."

"Yeah some help. If he hadn't been there Yue may still be alive." Her brother responded hotly.

Katara stood and walked over to Sokka. She put her arms around him and gave him a hug. They stood quietly for a few moments and then she pulled back and said softly, "Sokka if Yue hadn't given her life back to the moon spirit we would all be dead. Iroh knew enough to suggest it and by doing so he helped to save the water tribe from total destruction. I am sorry that it cost Yue her mortal life, but she did it willing. She did it for all of us. You can't hold Zuko's uncle responsible for her death."

Zuko noticed the young warrior trying to hold himself together. He had not realized that Sokka felt so strongly about the princess. More surprisingly he did not realize the role that his uncle had played during the siege. He had only relayed the story to Zuko during their time adrift at sea. He had left out his part in it. It was strange how intertwined their lives had all become. Suddenly he remembered the moments after his injuries at the hands of the Earth Kingdom soldiers. Yue had come to him. It had seemed like a dream, but it had been real. She knew that her friends would come along and find him and she had told him to trust in them. Now that trust was all he had. He knew that he could not rescue his uncle alone. As much as it killed him he needed their help.

Sokka's voice interrupted Zuko's thoughts, "Maybe you're right Katara, but I still think this is a bad idea. You are far too trusting and Zuko has proven time and again that he can't be trusted."

"Sokka he's never asked for our trust before. Until last week we were still enemies…"

"We still are." Sokka stated.

"Sokka like it or not this situation has changed. Enemies or not we need to help his uncle."

"I guess I have no choice. You've all made up your minds about it. Still I don't think we should do it and I don't think you should give Zuko so much credit. People don't change overnight and he's not even trying. Just because you healed him does not mean that he will suddenly become a nice guy Katara. He will turn around and hurt you. All of you." He looked to Toph and Aang. "I just want you guys to remember that." Sokka stood and said. "I need to clear my head." And with that he walked away.

They all sat silently taking in Sokka's words. Finally Toph spoke. "Well, that was awkward."

"I think Sokka has a point though." Aang spoke up. "Zuko we really don't know you as anything but our enemy. I think that trust is going to be hard on both sides. It's probably best if we try to put aside our past and forget about the future until your uncle is safe, otherwise we could put all our lives at risk in a rescue attempt."

Zuko looked at Aang. Put aside the past. He wished it was that easy. His past was like a heavy weight around his neck. He would love nothing more than to cast it aside, but he understood what the monk was getting at. "I agree." He simply replied.

"Good then we'll head out in the morning… which should be in a few hours. Maybe we should all try to go back to sleep and salvage as much of the night as we can." He stated. The others nodded. Toph returned to her rock tent and Aang to Appa's side. Katara stood and turned to go to her sleeping bag. Suddenly she changed direction and came to sit by his side.

"Are you sure you're ok?" she whispered.

"As fine as I can be." He replied tersely. "Having all of you discuss me as if I'm not here is always a little unsettling, but I guess I can't blame you." He grew quiet again and then softly he said, "Katara, thank you… I know that you don't have to do this…I really can't believe that you are willing to help…"

"Hey that's what friends do for each other." She replied.

"So is that what you consider us, friends?"

"Well I can't see you as the enemy and after this evening I really don't know what to think." She blushed as she thought back to earlier.

He looked down and spoke softly, "Katara…I don't deserve your trust…I don't want to hurt you…I don't want to be like Jet…"

"You are nothing like Jet." She replied crossly. "Jet cared only about his cause and nothing for the people caught in the crossfire. You care about people Zuko, whether you care to admit it or not. That is a quality that will always separate you from someone like him." She rose abruptly and then said, "I can't believe that Sokka told you about Jet. He had no right." She stood there silently and then spoke, "Look try to get some sleep. The next few days are going to be rough and we need you to help in the fight." With that she turned and went back to her sleeping bag.

He lay there stunned by the events of the evening. They were going to help him. After all he had done to them, all that he planned to still do; they were willing to help him. His mind drifted back again to his dream. Uncle being hurt was unsettling enough, but the image of his father killing the young monk haunted him. He never imagined just what his father would do to the boy, but now that he had a vision of it he was sickened. He hated to admit it but he like the Avatar. The kid was a good fighter but he also had such a carefree spirit to him. Zuko wished he could be like that, but it was not in his nature. Between his dream though and Sokka words at the lake side earlier, Zuko was really beginning to doubt himself and his future plans. Would bringing the Avatar home really change things? Would his life ever return to normal? He didn't know.

He thought back to Katara's words. She considered themselves friends, or something like it. He couldn't help but feel a sense of pleasure at her comment. He wanted desperately to belong. He hated to admit that he enjoyed his time with this group, even if they were a little weird at times. Of course friendship was not a luxury that he could afford at this time. Friends would only complicate things more and he needed to be free of complications. He agreed with Aang. He would leave the past in the past for now. The future was undecided and he would leave it that way as well. He needed to focus on finding Uncle. Nothing more. With that thought on his mind he rolled over and tried to get some sleep before they left in a few hours.

**A.N.** I saw the episode with Jet for the first time this summer. I was already a Zutara fan so my slant on him is a little clouded, yet I do think he is a tiny bit crazy and very obseesed. Last Friday's episode definately proved that (great fight scene though!). I don't plan to bring him into the story at this time, but I did think that mentioning him helped to explain Sokka's doubts about his sister's choice in men.

I am glad to be finally on the way to rescuing Iroh, but I have found myself at somewhat of a writer's block. I know where I want to go, but I am having trouble getting there. My hectic week last week has left me tired and drained. Hopefully I will be able to post soon.


	15. Chapter 15

_I do not own Avatar or any of its charactors._

**A Trip Into Town**

**They left as the sun was just rising in the sky.** Everyone had tried to sleep after Zuko's nightmare, but the anticipation of what the day held for them had them all a little anxious. Once again they sat quietly on Appa's back. Sokka had returned to camp shortly before they left. He was still angry but he had accepted the group's decision. Katara knew that having Zuko around was hard for her brother. He had good reason to hate the Fire Nation, they all did, but she wished that he wouldn't hold the prince accountable for all the evils of his nation and his ancestors. In time maybe he would be able to come to terms with Zuko, but she knew that was far off in the future. Sokka's plans were set in stone and he was not going to budge. As soon as they found Iroh he planned to head to Ba Sing Se and present the king with their findings from the Spirit Library. Zuko and his uncle did not fit into his plans and she knew that he would expect them all to part ways. She for her part wasn't sure anymore. Things had changed so much in such a short time.

She glanced over at Zuko. He was staring out over the open land below them lost in thought. So much had happened between them over the past few days. She still didn't know what to make of the kiss the previous evening. She knew that she had wounded Zuko's pride the night of their first kiss and she couldn't help but feel that the second encounter was just to prove to himself that she had enjoyed it. Of course she had enjoyed it very much and it shocked her that she did. She had never thought of Zuko as anything but her enemy. Then she got to know him. Just the little that he had revealed to her made her realize that she couldn't look at him in such black and white terms anymore. He was complicated; there was no doubt about that. Sokka had been right earlier, she did tend to go for the underdog. Part of what attracted her to Zuko was his need to prove himself. The odds had been stacked against him for many years now and he had suffered through tremendous heartache, but yet he continued on each day. A lesser man would have given up, but Zuko kept going. That drive could be overwhelming, especially where Aang was concerned, but she couldn't help but feel that if he could be persuaded to join them instead, his determination would help them to bring an end to the war.

All of that aside though she couldn't help but wonder what was happening between them. Was he attracted to her or was Sokka right and he was giving into his male 'urges' because she had encouraged it? He had seemed to enjoy the kiss last night as much as she had, but then guys were different, they didn't put as much into a simple kiss as a girl would. Still Zuko seemed different. She couldn't imagine him trekking all over the world and stopping in every port to smooch with the first girl he came across. He was too prissy and snobbish for that, and she realized, too honorable. He could have had a lot more than just a kiss earlier but he had stopped them. Once again her thoughts went back to the kiss. She had never experienced anything like that before. Her reaction to him had been so intense that it had scared her. How could she feel excitement like that when she wasn't even sure if she liked him that way? Of course she would be lying to herself if she tried to pretend that she wasn't attracted to him physically. Even with the burn on his face he was still handsome. And of course she couldn't help but notice how solidly he was built. It was obvious that he trained hard as a warrior and a bender. She could tell that his time on the run had taken its toll on him though. He knew what hunger was and he had a leanness to him that attested to that, but still he looked good.

She continued lost in her thoughts when suddenly Zuko turned and looked at her. She felt herself burn with heat as she blushed from head to toe. His expression changed from one of confusion to something else. He almost looked smug, like he knew that she was thinking about him and their kiss. She looked away, embarrassed now by her thoughts and her inability to hide her feelings. She could feel that familiar anger creep in. She hated to be seen as weak. She didn't want him to see her as some love struck girl mooning over him. She was a master water bender. She had held her own against him in the fiercest of battles and won! She did not want to give him the upper hand. Yes, she did feel something for him, but she couldn't let that attraction get in the way of their plans. He was still an unknown. He could still take Aang when all was said and done. She did not want her feelings for him clouding her judgment. She needed a level head. As much as she enjoyed it, she knew that the kissing had to stop before she lost her heart and Aang lost much more.

**Katara had been staring at him again.** When he caught her she had turned completely red with embarrassment. Probably remembering the kiss from last night, he thought and then smiled at the memory. She gave him an odd look and then turned away. She was hard to understand and he was never quite sure what was going on in her mind. One thing he knew for certain was that she did enjoy the kiss. She couldn't hide that. But then again so had he. She had to know that he had, yet he wondered. Maybe she had taken her brother's words to heart and thought that he was just using her to fill some kind of need. He hoped not. He had done many things in his past that he was not proud of but he would never use a girl just because she was available to him. There was no honor in that. Of course enjoying the kiss did nothing to settle the uneasy feelings that his attraction to her brought. He wasn't sure how it had happened or even when, but somehow he had started to see her as more than just the water tribe peasant that he had considered her to be all the months that he had been on the Avatar's trail. At first he believed that he was just feeling gratitude for her saving his life, but he knew now that it was much more. She had said herself that she considered them friends and maybe that's what that were, but there was also an attraction. She was a pretty girl. He was surprised that he had not noticed that before, but he had been preoccupied with the Avatar. Even if he hadn't noticed it he had always felt something when he was around her. There was always a tension between them; a tension that had felt some relief last night. His mind went back once again to the kiss.

He had been so angry at her and at himself yesterday and he couldn't help but taunt her at dinner, but then she had tossed the meal in his lap and his anger and grown into a fury. The swim in the cool water of the lake had helped slightly to ease his temper, but he had still been mad when she approached the shore line to help with his clothes. Once again he had only harsh words for her, but in the end it came down to a simple challenge. He fully expected her to take him up on it. After all she was just as competitive as him, yet she hadn't taken the bait. She was going to leave and he needed an answer. The kiss had started in anger, but it ended with a passion that he had not anticipated. She had enjoyed it, he could tell, but then so had he. And the degree to which he had responded was surprising. Of course he was not exactly very experienced in the romance department. In fact, though he would be loath to admit it, Katara had been his first kiss. He had never had time for girls while he was at the palace and he was really still too young to have had much interest. Once he was banished he had only one thing on his mind and that had been capturing the avatar. It wasn't until Katara that he had really desired closeness with a girl. But now that that closeness had developed, he was starting to feel a slight bit of apprehension. He had no idea what he was going to do after he found Uncle Iroh. He needed to be able to think rationally, but being around her was clouding his thoughts and making him doubt himself. As much as he enjoyed her company he knew that he should back off before he lost complete sight of his goals. After all he was the prince of the Fire Nation, and banished or not he intended to return home one day and regain his throne. Distractions at this point could be disastrous.

Sokka's voice suddenly broke him from his thoughts. "Hey I see a town over in the distance."

Zuko felt his heart rate increase with anticipation. Soon, soon he would know what had happened to his uncle and hopefully he would be able to find him in time.

**They landed Appa a good distance from the town.** It was decided that Aang and Toph would stay with Appa. Actually Aang had no intentions of letting the bison out of his sight. It had been less than two weeks since they had recovered him and he wasn't about to let anyone else take him away. Toph had volunteered to stay with him stating that being blind made it too difficult to hunt for clues to much of anything. She would gladly sit on the sidelines until the real action started, then she would be ready to knock heads together when needed.

The problem then arose as to who exactly would go into town. "Why don't you and Zuko and Katara go together?" he asked Sokka.

"Oh I don't think that's necessary," both Katara and Zuko answered simultaneously. They then stopped and looked at each other and frowned.

Katara quickly added, "Really Sokka and I should go. Zuko is still recovering from his injuries and Sokka is very good at finding out information. Besides I need to restock on some supplies. Zuko should really stay and rest."

"I am rested enough." He responded tersely. "And it is my uncle we are talking about. I should be the one looking for information to his whereabouts, besides it doesn't take a lot of brain power to pick over fruits and vegetables. I'm sure that Sokka could handle it. I think that Katara should stay here and help you two keep an eye on Appa."

"Keep an eye on Appa! I am not babysitting a ten ton bison. And besides it actually does take skill in choosing the right produce at the market. One bad melon and you'll be sorry you picked my brother for the job. And for your information Sokka is not the best judge of what passes for food."

"Hey enough about the buzzard bees" Sokka replied defensively.

"Oh I'm not talking about the buzzard bees smart guy, I'm thinking more to the cactus incident. I really don't feel like spending a day or two wasted due to some weird choice you make at the market."

"Fine then come into town and make sure we pick the right fruit."

"Really Sokka I don't think Zuko needs to go. We'll find the information fine on our own."

"I am going whether you want me to or not. So stop trying to control everything and let's get going." Zuko shouted.

The group grew quiet and Katara turned to Zuko, "I am not controlling! If you are so eager to go then fine, go! But if you lag behind we are not waiting for you."

"I won't lag behind." He replied.

"Fine, now that we all got that straight we should get going." Sokka stated.

Aang was quiet for a moment and then said, "Sokka shouldn't we give Zuko back his stuff in case you run into any trouble while you're there."

"Aang…" Sokka started but was cut off by Zuko's angry voice.

"What stuff?"

"Well when you were injured we found your ostrich horse and recovered your things. You know like your passport and stuff."

"You've had my personal affects for almost a week and never thought to return them?"

"Well…Sokka was afraid that you might do something with them…"

"What could I possibly do with a passport and such that could cause harm?"

"It wasn't that stuff that Sokka was worried about … it was…"

"Aang drop it." Sokka interrupted him. "We will be fine in town."

Zuko turned to Sokka, "What other things of mine do you have?"

"It doesn't matter because I'm not giving them to you until you're ready to leave for good." Sokka replied heatedly.

Zuko lunged at Sokka and grabbed his shirt. Getting right in his face he said slowly, "I want my stuff. All of it!"

Sokka broke free of his grasp and replied, "See! See what I mean .He's a hothead. Why would we want to give him weapons when he's so quick to anger…?"

"You have my broad swords? Did you find my knife?"

"What do you think? I mean how many weapons do you carry? Look I don't think you need them right now. I mean you can't even use your left arm. The broad swords would be useless."

"It doesn't matter, they are still mine. You have no right to keep them from me."

"I have every right when I am trying to protect my friends. You don't need them now. It's my call and I am not giving them back."

Zuko stood still and stared at Sokka. His anger was very visible and Aang could tell that he was having a hard time keeping from harming Sokka. He wasn't quite sure what to do when Katara spoke up. "Look Sokka, you said it yourself, he won't be able to use his weapons. And besides if he really wanted to hurt us he could just fire bend. Just give him back his things and let's go into town."

"No Katara."

"Yes!"

"Katara!"

"Sokka!"

She stared at her brother until he finally turned away. Slowly he turned and started to walk over to Appa. Muttering to himself the entire way. "Sure give the guy that is trying to capture our friend his weapons back…Makes perfect sense to me…Everybody knows what's best except Sokka…What do I know…I'm just the guy that has the warrior training…"

He climbed up onto Appa's back and retrieved the items in question. Returning to Zuko he handed him the bundle containing all of his belongings. "Here!" he said as he shoved them at the prince.

Zuko tried to hold on to everything but it was too awkward with just the one arm. Everything fell to the ground and scattered about his feet. He bent down and started to gather the items when he came across the knife that he had mentioned earlier. Slowly he took it from its case and appeared to read some sort of inscription on the blade. Aang watched as the prince looked at the knife. Obviously it held some special meaning to him, but Zuko quickly sheathed the knife, gathered of few of his other things, and stood. If there was a special meaning he wasn't about to share it at that moment.

"You're right about the broadswords. They won't do me much good right now, but the passport might help out if someone questions us. As for fire bending, I can't really do that in an Earth Kingdom village unless I want to be captured too. Fire benders aren't very popular around here."

"Fire benders aren't very popular _anywhere_ you go anymore." Sokka replied heatedly.

Zuko stared at Sokka for a moment and then he glanced down again at the knife. He attempted to attach it to his belt. The task was made difficult by his broken arm and he seemed to get frustrated. Katara finally stepped forward and grabbed his hand.

"Here, let me help. It'll go a lot faster if we work together." Aang thought he saw Zuko tense at her touch, but quickly dismissed it. Why would Zuko be anxious around Katara?

Having been true to her word Katara finished and then turned to Aang. "Well I guess the three of us are heading into town. Hopefully we'll be back before dark."

"Be careful." He said and then gave her a hug. He whispered to her before they parted, "Don't let those two come to blows. We don't need any undo attention brought our way."

She stepped back and smiled. "Everything will be ok. I'll keep them out of trouble. Heck, I've been doing that with Sokka all my life, why should now be any different."

The three started walking towards the village. When they were out of earshot Toph remarked, "You know things would be a lot more peaceful around here if those two would just admit that they liked each other."

Aang looked at her confused, "Sokka and Zuko?"

"No twinkle toes" she said as she thumped him on the head. "Zuko and Katara. I mean anyone can see that they have feelings for each other. Really, I can see it and I'm blind!"

Aang became flustered at the idea of Zuko and Katara liking each other in any way. She hated Zuko. She couldn't possibly like him. Not as a girl likes a guy. That would be crazy. "I don't know Toph. Katara has never had anything nice to say about him before."

"That was before. Now that she's spent time with him, I think she's changed her mind. After all Sokka wouldn't be acting so over protective if he didn't think the guy had something for his sister and vice versa."

Aang stood quietly thinking about what she said. He hoped she was wrong. He had always had feelings for Katara. If what Toph said was true then he would have to let go of any dream he had of the two of them ever becoming a couple. That thought made his heart ache. Maybe it would be a good thing to find Zuko's uncle. The sooner they found him the sooner Zuko could leave and then maybe Katara would put this behind her and things could go back to the way they were.

**They approached the town at midday**. The heat from the sun had them tired and thirsty from the journey. Katara turned to Zuko and Sokka and said, "We should really look for the market and get some food and water. Maybe if we're lucky we can pick up some information from the merchants and other travelers about soldiers that might have come through."

"The market would be good." Her brother panted. "We could get something to drink and more importantly something to eat."

Zuko slowed and looked at the two of them. "Look before we go into town I just want to explain something. You can't call me by my name. If someone finds out who I am they will turn me over to the soldiers and I will be put to death right alongside my uncle."

"Is that a promise?" Sokka replied sarcastically. Katara elbowed her brother hard in the side. "Hey that hurt! I was just kidding. I would be very sad if something happened to the prince"

"Could you stop being such an insensitive jerk for just one minute please?" Katara said angrily in reply. She looked to Zuko. "So, if we can't call you by your name what should we call you?"

Before he could answer Sokka chimed in, "I can think of some choice names that I've used in the past!"

"Sokka!" she yelled and glared at him.

"Okay, sorry, I'll keep quiet. Really I will."

Turning again to Zuko she asked, "What's your alias?"

"I go by…," he paused and looked a little embarrassed. He then continued on, "I go by Lee"

"Oh that's real original." Sokka burst out.

Katara had had enough of her brother. She turned to him and said through clenched teeth. "If you don't shut up I will not be responsible for what I do to you. You got that Mr. Sarcastic Remarks."

He threw his arms up in mock defense and said, "Okay, okay, really this time I will keep quiet."

Once again she looked back at Zuko, "Okay then Lee," Sokka let out a snort at that. She reached for her water pouch, but her brother quickly put his hand over his mouth as a promise to keep quiet. She let her hand fall to her side and continued. "As I was saying, we should get going to the market."

Zuko nodded and they started towards the town. The market was located a few blocks in. As they approached Sokka started drooling at the smell of the various cooked foods. Looking for an opportunity to ease the tension that still was present from her brother's earlier remarks she suggested that he go off and purchase them some lunch and that she and Zuko would get some fruits and vegetables to bring back for their travels. Sokka was hesitant but his stomach finally overrode his desire to keep an eye on her and Zuko. Not that he needed to worry. She had decided to let things cool down and judging by Zuko's remarks earlier he wasn't so eager to be around her either. She handed Sokka some coins and he headed off in the opposite direction. Silently she and Zuko headed for the produce.

As they approached a fruit stand Zuko finally spoke up. "I don't see why we are wasting our time shopping. We should be gathering information, not buying food."

"We are gathering information. The market is like the central hub of any town. Any news that occurs is relayed from stall to stall. There is no better place to catch up on gossip than here. A few carefully placed questions and we will find out all we need to know."

Zuko gave her a skeptical look but followed her to the stall. Katara started inspecting the fruit looking for the best ones to bring back. As she searched, the merchant approached and said hello. Katara smiled and returned her greeting. She then noticed the woman look at Zuko. Her smiled faded as she caught sight of his scar and she looked away with revulsion. Zuko had seen her expression and looked down. Katara could feel herself grow angry at the woman. How could she be so callus? Instinctively she grabbed Zuko's hand and dragging him away from the stall said loudly, "Let's go try that stand over there. The fruit looks better than these."

"It's ok Katara, I'm used to it. Some people react like that. It's just the way things are."

"Well you may be used to it but I'm not. That woman was rude and I refuse to buy anything from her." She couldn't believe that people reacted like that. Couldn't they even try practicing a little self control to spare his feelings?

"You know if we keep avoiding people who react negatively to my scar we may never purchase any food." He said sullenly.

"Well then we'll be a little hungry tonight. No big deal." Her stubbornness had set in and she wasn't going to budge. She refused to let people treat him in such a disrespectful way, especially now that she knew how he came by the scar. She did not want him to be ashamed of it. He had sacrificed a lot as a result of standing up for those men and he should be proud of that, not embarrassed.

Luckily the next merchant was the complete opposite of the first. She was older and had a look about her that reminded Katara of Gran Gran. She greeted them warmly and chatted away as Katara inspected the different fruits. "So are you two new to this town?" She asked warmly.

"We're just passing through." Zuko said quickly.

"We're on our way to Ba Sing Se." Katara volunteered. Zuko gave her a look but she ignored him.

"So are you both starting a new life together in the capital?"

Zuko let out a choked cough and Katara laughed nervously. "Together?" she asked.

"Well, I just thought the two of you were engaged. That is a betrothal necklace isn't it? I used to live down in the southern end of the Earth Kingdom and I saw a lot of people from the Water Tribe, mostly trading or buying supplies. The young girls wore necklaces similar to that one. I just assumed that that was what your necklace was."

"Oh it is…" Katara started to reply, but was cut off by the woman.

"Well that's just wonderful!" She smiled at Katara and kept on talking. "You really are a very handsome couple. I can imagine that you will have very beautiful children someday." She then started to laugh and said, "Oh look at me getting ahead of myself. You two are still young. There will be plenty of time for children later. Enjoy each other for a while first." With that she winked at Zuko and Katara noticed him turn a deep scarlet at her suggestion. It was at that moment that Sokka walked up.

"Hey there you two are. I got the food." He looked at Zuko and then to Katara and asked, "Is something weird going on here?"

The old woman spoke up. "Oh I was just congratulating them on their betrothal."

"Betrothal! I go away for a few minutes and you two get engaged? I knew I shouldn't have left you out of my sight Katara. And you _Lee, _you've got some nerve asking for my sister's hand in marriage without consulting me first."

The woman looked confused and Zuko appeared stunned. Katara gave her brother an exasperated look and said, "Sokka cut it out." She then turned to the woman and explained, "You misunderstood. This is a betrothal necklace but it belonged to my mother, and her mother before her. It's just a family heirloom, nothing more."

The woman smiled and said, "Oh I see, well still I think that you two look good together and judging by your reactions I would say that a betrothal between you two could become a reality some day."

Katara blushed and Zuko looked away. Sokka said in a harsh voice, "Over my dead body. Lee here isn't the man for my sister. Believe me; he's from an entirely different world than she's used to. It would never work."

"You never know, opposites can attract." The old woman said and then smiled.

"You don't know just how opposite they are." Sokka replied.

They all grew quiet and Katara turned back to the fruit. Quickly she picked some more and then paid for them. "Thank you for your help." She said to the woman and then added, "We really need to get on our way. With the Fire Nation about we really want to get to Ba Sing Se so that we will be safe."

"Oh you don't need to be too afraid, the Fire Nation tends to leave us alone. I think they have business elsewhere occupying their time. We haven't seen much of the war at all. In fact if it wasn't for the Earth Kingdom soldiers that were brought into town yesterday, we wouldn't have seen anything in over three months."

Zuko straightened at her remarks. "Some soldiers came through yesterday? Are they heading to the capital as well?"

"No, actually they're recuperating at the local infirmary. It seems that they met up with some fire benders on the way here."

"Fire benders?" Katara asked.

"Yes, I guess they were transferring a prisoner to Ba Sing Se. Rumor had it that it was the Dragon of the West himself. They were attacked by the fire benders and their prisoner was taken. The soldiers that came here were the lucky ones. Apparently the others were killed in the skirmish."

Katara could feel Zuko tense beside her. Fire benders had his uncle. She remembered that his uncle was wanted by the Fire Nation as well. Why would they rescue him? She had to find out more information and the best bet was from the soldiers themselves. She spoke up, "So you have an infirmary here?"

"Yes about two blocks from here."

She turned to Zuko and said, "Lee we should check it out. I mean you would probably benefit from some professional care for your arm. Maybe they could give you a better splint than my makeshift attempt."

He stared at her and then catching on said, "Yeah, that would probably be best. We should go to the infirmary."

The woman gave them exact directions and they turned to leave. As they put some distance between them and the market Katara turned to Zuko and said, "I'm sure that your uncle is ok. The soldiers will clear this up and then we'll know where to go."

"We are going nowhere if the Fire Nation has him. _Lee_ here is on his own." Sokka stated.

"Sokka…" she started, but Zuko cut her off.

"No Katara, he's right. You can't risk going against fire benders. Besides I don't think it's soldiers that have him."

"What does that mean?" She asked.

He hesitated and then softly said, "In my dream last night, when the earth bender crushed uncle's hands, he started to laugh only it wasn't a man's voice. It was a girl." He grew silent and then whispered, "It was Azula."

"You don't think Azula has your uncle do you?"

"I think that there is a good chance." He grew quiet again and then in a voice barely audible he said, "Before I woke up she said that she had uncle and that she was coming for me. I can't let that happen. I won't lead her to you. To any of you." He clarified as he looked to Sokka.

"We don't know if Azula has your uncle. Let's see what we find out from the soldiers, ok?" She grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze.

He smiled at her but it never reached his eyes. She could tell that he was worried and she would be lying if she said that she wasn't a little anxious about the idea of facing Zuko's sister again. Still if that was the case then she would still help. She would not leave him to face Azula alone.

**A.N. **This chapter took quite a while (writer's block, mean people to deal with in real life, and a nasty cold that left me in bed every waking moment for most of this week).

I do have to say that I wrote the first segment of this chapter where Zuko and Katara reflect on the kiss and their feelings for each other before The Tales of Ba Sing Se aired last Friday. I have always believed that Zuko has no clue when it comes to girls. The episode was great and it actually kick started me back into writing. The block is dissipating and the story is heading for some twists and of coarse the show down with Azula!

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. There were some necessary elements to place into the story as well as some new perspectives from some of the charactors.


	16. Chapter 16

_I do not own Avatar or any of its characters._

**Startling Discoveries**

**They entered the infirmary and waited for someone to look at his arm**. Apparently Katara had a plan as to getting the information they needed from the soldiers, but she wasn't sharing it with him or her brother. He had to trust that she knew what she was doing and quite frankly he was glad that one of them was thinking clearly at this point. He was still shocked by the realization that his dream may have held some truth. Azula could have Uncle and who knew what she would do to him. He knew that she wouldn't kill him. She needed Uncle to draw him out of hiding. She knew that he would search for Uncle until he found him. He would be walking into a trap but he had no choice. Well actually he did have one choice. He would go alone. He would not let her get her hands on the Avatar. He would insist that the group of friends continue on to Ba Sing Se. After he knew exactly what had happened with the soldiers he would be leaving them, maybe for good. He could feel his need to capture the Avatar slipping away. This war and the desire of his father to destroy the Avatar were pointless. He would no longer play a part in any of it. He would find Uncle and then they would figure out what to do next. His uncle would know what to do and for once he was looking forward to heeding his advice.

Katara's voice interrupted his thoughts, "They're ready to see you now." He looked up at her and she smiled reassuringly at him. "It'll be ok. You'll see. We'll get the information we need and then we'll find your uncle. Everything will work out fine."

He wished he could share in her confidence but he couldn't. No matter what they discovered, he would be leaving her. The thought of parting company made him feel hollow inside. He had grown too used to her presence in his life. He had grown way too comfortable around her; around all of them for that matter; after today all that would change.

They were led into a triage room where the doctors where busy assessing injuries and treating patients. Zuko was shown to an examining table and sat down. The doctor approached them and asked about his injury. "So what seems to be the trouble?"

"I broke my arm." He replied matter-of-factly.

"Yes, well I can see that. How did you do it?" he asked as he examined the splint that Katara had fashioned to keep his arm still while it healed.

"Well I…I was out gathering wood for the fire…and I was in a tree…"

"Why were you in a tree?"

"Well I …"

"He's not the brightest candle in the pack if you know what I mean." Sokka interrupted.

Zuko scowled at him and Katara spoke up. "Lee was gathering wood when he saw a small animal stuck in a tree. He climbed up to rescue it and ended up falling out of the tree." She then whispered to the doctor, "He's a little embarrassed by the whole thing. You know male ego and all."

The doctor smiled and said, "Oh yes I am very familiar with boys and their foolish stunts. Well at least you had good intentions Lee, next time though I would keep my feet on the ground." He paused and then released Zuko's arm. "So which one of you is responsible for wrapping his arm?"

"I am." Katara responded.

"Well good job young lady. You've done well with such limited supplies. Still it was a good thing to bring him in here. I'll remove this and check his arm to make sure that it's set properly and then I'll rewrap it again with a more secure splint and bindings."

Katara smiled at his comment. Sokka took that moment to speak up. "You know his injuries were more extensive than the broken arm. He had a lot of deep cuts and bruises but she healed those with her water bending."

Zuko looked at Sokka wondering where he was going with this when the doctor said, "You can heal using water?"

Katara blushed but said, "Yes I can. Some water benders posses that gift. I was just lucky enough to be one of them."

The doctor seemed to contemplate something and then asked, "Can you heal burns. Deep burns. Potentially life threatening burns?"

"I can, but water can only heal externally. I can't repair internal injuries or mend bones. If I could Lee wouldn't be sitting here now."

The doctor thought again and then asked, "How about a little trade of services here. I will take care of your friend's arm for free if you can help heal some patients that were brought in yesterday."

"We don't have to trade. I would gladly heal them for free. Just show me where they are."

"Sure thing. Lee I'll be back in one minute. Let me show Katara to the patients I'm speaking of."

He led her away and Sokka looked at Zuko. "Well that couldn't have worked any better."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"The soldiers; he's taking her to the soldiers. She'll be able gather the information that we need from them and then we can go."

"Oh," he replied still a little distracted by the course of events over the last few hours.

"You know you really need to pull yourself together before we go after your uncle." Sokka stated. "You are letting your sister freak you out and we don't even know if she really has your uncle or not."

"I am not letting her freak me out. It's just that her presence in this changes everything. She is capable of anything and she will stop at nothing to capture the Avatar."

"Sounds like someone else I know." Sokka replied sarcastically.

"I may have been driven, but the two of us are completely different. She will not fight fair. She wants the Avatar. You, Toph, and Katara are just extra baggage that she does not want to transport back home. She will kill all of you without hesitation. She may even kill Aang rather than risk his possible escape. As for my uncle and me, she has already tried to kill us before, and she will keep trying until she succeeds. So if I seem distracted I think it's with good reason. I have a lot to think about and some decisions to make."

"Don't we all." Sokka said more to himself and then grew silent. They sat lost in their own thoughts until the doctor returned.

**The doctor finished Zuko's arm. **He advised the prince to try to keep from using it for at least three more weeks and reminded him to have someone look at it once they got to Ba Sing Se. Sokka almost laughed out loud. Three weeks; Zuko would be lucky if he didn't have to face his sister in the next three days! How he was going to be of any use in a battle was beyond him, but he had seen his enemy make his way against even greater odds before, maybe he would do so again.

The doctor turned to leave and Sokka stopped him and asked if he could go to Katara in the ward. He seemed to hesitate and then said he could as long as he remained quiet. Zuko chose to stay in the waiting area. Sokka assumed that he was afraid of being recognized. It was probably for the best. It would be a shame to come this far and then have one of the soldiers reveal that he was the Prince of the Fire Nation. They would all feel the heat if Zuko was discovered.

He left Zuko and went to find Katara. When he found her she was sitting beside a soldier. He didn't look much older then himself. Sokka winced when he caught sight of the burns that marred his body. His whole right side, from his fingertips, up his arm, and then over his chest and neck, were covered in deep burns. He moaned in pain and Katara spoke soothing words to him as she wrapped the water around her hands in preparation to heal him.

"Just hold on, it will all be over soon. I'm going to take the pain away and heal your burns." She said in a calm voice. The soldier just continued to moan in pain. Slowly Katara began to move her hands over his hand and arm. The water enveloped the burns and they started to heal. She worked her way through the rest of his injuries until she was finished. She sat back to look him over. The moaning had stopped and the soldier slept peacefully.

"I never stop being amazed by your gift." He remarked.

She looked up startled by his words. "Sokka, I didn't know you were there." She stood and stretched. "This is the fourth soldier I've seen so far. None have been conscious. There's one more left. Hopefully he can give us some information." She grew quiet and then said in a whisper, "I have never seen burns this bad before. These men were blasted by more than just flames. If Azula did this she is more of a monster than we ever gave her credit for. She needs to be taken down once and for all; the sooner the better."

"I won't argue you that sis." He replied.

"Hey, where is Lee?" She asked.

"Who?" he replied and then remembering, "Oh _Lee_, he's waiting in another room. You know fire benders make him squeamish."

"Very funny Sokka." She started walking only to stop at another soldier. This one was awake. He was burned just as horribly as the other that she had just healed. She sat down next to him and spoke, "Hi, my name is Katara. I'm a water bender and I am going to heal your injuries."

Tears started to stream down the young man's face. He spoke in a raspy voice, "The pain is almost unbearable." He stopped to catch his breath. "I don't think I can live like this…it hurts so much…"

"It's alright. Soon you won't feel any pain. Just relax. I'm going to start right now."

With that she set about healing his injuries. As she progressed, Sokka could see the relief flood through the soldier's features. He let out a sigh and his breathing became easier. When Katara finished he spoke again. "Thank you. I can't believe that you made my pain go away."

"I'm glad I could help. That must have been some battle you were in. Were there a lot of fire benders?"

The soldier winced at the memory and then said, "It was pretty bad. You would think that we ran into a whole battalion of fire benders, but it was only one. Just one; a girl no older than you. Amazing how one could be so destructive and another so completely opposite. You are a special young woman."

Katara blushed at his complement, but Sokka was quick to jump on his earlier statement. "You can't be serious. One girl did this to you?"

"Actually there were three, but it was just the one who could fire bend. She seemed like their leader. She's the one who fought us, all of us. She killed the commander right on the spot before we could even react. He had insulted her and she reacted with lightning speed. She blasted him right off his ostrich horse killing him before he even hit the ground. We had no choice but to fight. I'll tell you that in all my encounters with the Fire Nation I have never seen anything like her. She had incredible bending abilities but she also had a ruthlessness about her that made her invincible."

"She's still human. I'm sure she's got a weakness somewhere." Sokka said.

"Well we couldn't find any. She wiped us out in a matter of minutes and then she took our prisoner."

"Prisoner?" Katara asked.

"Yes, we were bringing the Dragon of the West to Ba Sing Se. We found him days earlier in a village a few days south of here. He was traveling with the Fire Lord's son, but the commander was only interested in the general. He crushed the boy beneath a pile of rocks and left him for dead. After that the old man went with us willingly. In fact he never spoke the entire journey. He seemed resigned to his fate."

"So the girl rescued him?" Sokka asked.

"Not exactly. He said he would rather face the executioner than to go with her." He paused for a moment and seemed to remember something. "You know I remember who she was now. She said that she had come for her uncle. She was the Fire Lord's daughter. It was obvious though that she didn't care much for her uncle. She taunted him the entire time. Told him that his nephew was still alive and that he was with…" he paused again and seemed to search his memory, and then he spoke, "The avatar; she said that the Avatar and his friends had rescued her brother. She found that very amusing."

Sokka felt his blood suddenly run cold. How could she know that they had found Zuko? And if she knew that then she would be prepared to fight them. The element of surprise was now gone. "Why would the Avatar want to rescue the Prince of the Fire Nation? They're enemies."

"I don't know but she seemed certain of it. In fact she claimed that once she found them her brother would gladly turn the air bender over in exchange for his uncle. In fact I think she's counting on that."

"I think she may be in for a surprise." Katara spoke up. Sokka gave her a look but she continued. "I hear that the prince has no love for his sister. I don't think that he'll give her anything she demands. And besides if he was crushed by those rocks as you say then he'll be in no condition to negotiate anything."

"That's for certain. In fact I don't see how he could have survived without the aid of a healer such as yourself."

Sokka spoke up again quickly. "Well you never know, maybe his injuries weren't so bad. Anyways we really need to go. Katara we should be on our way if we are going to catch up with dad and the others at camp."

She looked at him questioningly and then catching on said, "Oh of course; they're probably worried sick about us. We only came here to seek help for a friend. I didn't realize how much time I've spent here. Good luck with your recovery." She said and then turned to leave.

The soldier looked puzzled and then understanding seemed to spread across his face. He reached out and grabbed Katara's arm. Pulling her close he whispered. "Your secret is safe with me. Personally I don't care about the prince. It's his fire bending witch of a sister that I have no love for. You do what you have to do to take her down. I won't ever tell a soul about our conversation. Your reasons for saving his life are your own. Thank you for saving mine."

Katara nodded at him and then gave him a quick hug. "We'll do what we can. Thank you for your silence."

With that they quickly headed towards the waiting area. Sokka's heart was beating fast in his chest. That was too close. He looked at Katara and noticed that she had grown very pale. He stopped walking and said quietly, "Are you ok? That was close back there."

"I'm fine, just a little shaken. Healing always takes a lot out of me, especially healing that many men. I'm feeling a little weak."

"Can you make it to Appa?"

"I don't know," she panted. "I think I should rest for awhile."

"Katara we should really get out of here." He looked at her closely and he could tell that there was no way that she was going to make the journey back to camp. "Look, maybe they have a place where you can lie down. I could leave you and get Appa and fly back. Our cover is pretty well blown and surprise is no longer on our side. No one is going to question a ten ton bison at this point in time. Let me get Zu…Lee and we'll head back to camp."

"No Sokka, I don't want to stay here by myself. Just leave him here and go. It'll be a lot quicker for you.

"I am not leaving you alone with him."

"Sokka please cut me some slack. We're in the middle of a crowded infirmary. Nothing is going to happen. Couldn't you just trust me on this?"

"I trust you, to a degree, but him I don't trust at all. I think it's a bad idea."

"Then you'll have to carry me. And believe me it'll be slow moving since Lee is still weak from his injuries."

"No Katara. Threats will not work on me."

It was at that moment that she started to sway on her feet. Damn, he thought, I am going to have to carry her. He thought of Zuko. The prince really wasn't in the best of shape. He might end up having to drag them both back. Once again he found himself going against his better judgment, but if the prince tried anything with his sister he would beat him senseless on his return. With that thought in mind he went in search of the doctor from earlier. Maybe he could leave her somewhere where she could rest. Somewhere where Zuko would have to leave her alone.

**A.N.** These past two chapters set the scene for things to come. I have many ideas for where this is going and I am trying to get them out of my head and onto paper, so to speak. Things will start to move quickly and alot is about to happen.

Of course Sokka should trust his instincts. Leaving Zuko and Katara alone is not too smart a move. Zuko though has much to think about and deal with. Look for him to confront more of the demons from his past as he makes an important decision about his future.


	17. Chapter 17

_I do not own Avatar or any of its characters._

**Facing the Truth**

Katara found Zuko in a small room off to the side of the triage. It was a place used by the doctors to rest, but she could sleep there without disturbance for now. Sokka thought that the room was deserted. The last person he would want her to be alone with was Zuko. She on the other hand was glad to see him. She needed company right now and she knew that he needed to hear about what the soldier had told her.

When she came in he was sitting on the floor mat with his knees pulled up towards his chest. His right hand rested on his knees and he was looking at the knife that Sokka had returned earlier. She could tell that he was lost in thought and she almost hated to intrude.

He lifted his head when he heard her approach and said simply, "They let me wait in here until you were done. I guess I was supposed to rest but I couldn't sleep." He sheathed the knife and began to stand. "So where is Sokka? Are we ready to go?"

"Sokka took off a little while ago." He looked at her with a confused expression, so she clarified her statement. "Healing takes a lot of me physically. The soldiers' wounds were pretty severe and it took quite some time to heal them. I didn't feel up to walking back to Appa so Sokka said that he would go and get Aang and Toph and fly Appa back to town to pick us up."

"Sokka left you and me alone, on his own free will?" He asked a little surprised.

"It took a little bit of convincing but in the end he decided that he would rather leave you than have to carry me. So he left."

"Why would he have to carry you?"

"Because I told him that I wasn't leaving you alone and that you needed to rest as much as me. Especially if we have to face Azula in the near future…"

"So it was Azula?" he asked. She could hear the anxiety in his voice.

She turned from him and went to shut the screens that separated them from the triage. Returning to his side she took his right hand and said, "Zuko I'm so sorry, but there is no doubt that your sister has your uncle." She let go of his hand and went to sit on the mat. Patting the spot next to her she said, "Please sit down and I'll fill you in on what I learned."

He sat down next to her and turning to face her said, "Go ahead."

"Well I hadn't learned much about what happened until the last soldier I healed. He was really the only one conscious so I asked him a few questions about the soldiers that had attacked them. He said that it wasn't soldiers, it was three girls…"

"Three?" he questioned.

"Yes, your sister has been traveling with two girls. They don't fire bend, but one is skilled with weapons and the other is an acrobatic freak that can take your ability to bend away with the strike of her hand." Katara remarked bitterly.

"Mai and Ty Lee." He whispered more to himself.

"Who are they?" she asked.

"Some childhood friends of Azula's. I can't imagine why they agreed to help her, but my sister can be pretty persuasive when she wants something bad enough. She probably gave them an offer they couldn't refuse."

"I don't know, they seemed to enjoy knocking me and Sokka about." She replied sarcastically. "Anyways, he confirmed that it was them. He said that Azula demanded that they hand over Iroh and they refused. I guess the commander insulted her, and she blasted him from his ostrich horse killing him instantly."

He turned away from her and looked down. For a moment he was quiet and then he said bitterly, "The commander was the one who brought the rocks down on me and left me for dead. I can't say that I feel too much sympathy for him."

"Well he didn't get a chance to do anything to Azula. She attacked swiftly and with deadly precision. Apparently the battle was over in a matter of minutes. She killed eight of the soldiers on the spot. Two died here from their injuries and the other five were the ones that I treated today."

"Ten men," he whispered again to himself.

"Ten men." She repeated him. "She is definitely a formidable enemy."

He looked up at her and said, "Which is exactly why I need to face her alone."

"What!" Katara exclaimed. "Are you crazy or do you just have a death wish. She just killed ten men without breaking a sweat and you want to take her on by yourself?"

"I can't ask you or anyone else to risk their lives to help me or my uncle. Azula is ruthless. She will kill you all if the chance presents itself."

"You'd be walking into a trap if you go in alone. Zuko she knows that you're alive and she knows that we found you. Capturing your uncle is just part of her plan."

"She knows that you rescued me? How could she know that?"

"I don't know but the soldier said that she was taunting your uncle about leaving you for dead when she mentioned that you were actually alive. She said that it seemed that the Avatar and friends had found you. She plans to use your uncle as bait in a trap to capture Aang. She figures that you'll turn him over in exchange for your uncle."

"She would never honor such an arrangement. Once she had the Avatar she would kill both my uncle and me. I will never let her get a hold of him. That is why I need to go alone. You and the others should continue on to Ba Sing Se. Get yourselves safely behind those walls. The Fire Nation won't be able to find you. More importantly Azula won't be able to harm you."

"If you fight her alone in your present condition she will kill you."

He stood abruptly and said in a passionate voice, "Better me than you!"

She was taken back by his statement. "You can't mean that."

"I can't have you risk your life for me. I can't let the Avatar take that kind of chance either. If I die it will be of little consequence to the world, but losing the Avatar would be devastating."

She stood and faced him. Grabbing his face between her hands she said in a firm voice, "Your life is of great importance to me and to the world. If you die who will lead the Fire Nation when this war is over?"

"If the Avatar dies there will be no end to the war and besides I will never regain my throne. Or have you forgotten that I am banished. No one wants me on the throne. Without the Avatar I will remain in exile for the rest of my life, but I can't let my father or my sister get their hands on him. He is too valuable to the world to let him die."

She couldn't believe what he was telling her. Had he given up on his quest to find Aang and return him home? She asked, "So are you're saying that you are no longer chasing after Aang?"

He broke free from her grasp and started to pace. Finally he stopped and stood with his back to her. His voice had an edge to it that hinted at the depth of his emotions. She could tell that he was using everything within himself to keep his feelings from overtaking him. "For three years I have been searching for the Avatar. It was all I could think of night and day. I was obsessed by the thought of finding him so that I could return home. For two years I searched those artic waters and never found him and then suddenly he emerged from his hiding. I never understood that. How had he stayed hidden for so long? And why hadn't he aged. He should have been over a hundred years old."

She walked up to him and placed her hand on his shoulder. Speaking softly she said, "My brother and I found Aang by accident. We had been fishing when our boat was destroyed. We landed on a piece of floating ice. I had been so mad at Sokka that I started to yell. The force of my anger started a crack to form in the iceberg behind us. When it finally crumbled a ball of ice emerged. Inside of it was Aang and Appa. Somehow Aang had triggered his Avatar spirit when he was caught in a storm a century before. He stayed in the iceberg, in his Avatar state for all those years. When I broke through the ice Aang came out of his avatar state and woke up. He hadn't realized that one hundred years had past. Time had stood still for him and Appa. Of course time had moved on around him. The world was very different than when he left it."

Zuko stood quietly and then turned to face her. "So you're telling me that for two whole years I had been chasing after a person that for all intents and purpose didn't exist? No matter what I did I would never have found him?"

"It would seem that way." She replied softly.

He let out a long pent up breath at the realization. Speaking more to himself he asked, "Why would he do that? Why would he send me on a mission that he knew I would never succeed at? How could he do that to me?" He grew silent and looked away. After some time he turned back to her and said, "All my life I tried to please him but it was never enough. I would have done anything to make him proud of me. Your brother was right I was willing to sacrifice the needs of the entire world for my own selfish desire to gain my father's approval. And in the end it wouldn't have mattered one bit. He never intended for me to find the Avatar. He expected me to fail. He knew that I would never return and he was content in that decision."

She felt her heart ache for him. She knew that the pain of what he was realizing had to be killing him. "Zuko I am so sorry…"

"No, don't be sorry. Don't look at me with pity. I have been a fool all these years. My father never intended to place me on the throne. I just couldn't accept that. I believed that if I tried hard enough and captured the Avatar he would respect me again. I just didn't realize that I never had his respect. I was always an embarrassment to him. Nothing I did ever came out right. He always favored Azula. She was always perfect, a fire bending prodigy. Not so with me, I had to struggle through every form. I would practice for hours and I would never be as good as her. My father praised her talents but he cringed whenever I would demonstrate my abilities. I think I took to weapons training partly because it was something that she had no interest in. Of course by then I didn't even seek my father's approval. I knew he would look down on my training. He would take it as a sign of weakness. That I had given up on bending, but I hadn't. I still practiced daily for hours just to keep up. After the agni kai my training was all I had left. Uncle became my master and he taught me in a way that my father and my teachers before hadn't. He always treated me with respect. No one else looked at me as anything but a spoiled prince. Even my own crew believed that I was a selfish, arrogant, ass. Of course in the beginning, after I was banished, I was pretty selfish. I thought of no one except myself. My need to capture the Avatar overtook any desire for human contact or friendship. I was so bitter that I didn't care what people thought anymore. I just wanted to return home. I just wanted my honor back. Only the more I sought the Avatar the more my honor seemed to slip away. Towards the end I began to hate him. I blamed him for what I had become. Funny isn't it, how you can love someone and hate them just as equally?"

"He is still your father Zuko. There will always be some type of bond there, no matter how uncaring a parent he is" she whispered.

"I guess that's true. I've just lived with such conflicting emotions for so long now that I don't know how I truly feel anymore. After the agni kai I couldn't stand the thought of being around him. I was so angry at myself but I was also mad at him. After all how could he have done that to me? I was his son. How could he punish me like that? Why wouldn't he accept my apology? I loved him and he threw it right back in my face. That day in front of all those people he publicly declared his true feelings for me. He thought he would teach me respect by punishing me, but all he did was make me a leper in the eyes of the entire nation. No one respected me. No one ever treated me the same again. They didn't even try to show respect for my position as heir to the throne. And then my father took even that away and banished me."

He looked down in defeat as he remembered his past. She was at a loss for words. She spoke his name and he looked up. Taking her hand she cupped the side of his face that his father had so mercilessly scarred. She couldn't stop the tears that streamed down her face as he had recounted his story. Softly she spoke from her heart. "What your father did was so wrong. On so many levels. I can't even begin to understand his reasoning or the lesson he intended to teach. But it was cruel. You have every right to hate him for what he did." She grew silent and then reflecting over her day she remarked, "Seeing those soldiers today in so much pain made me realize just how horrible it would be to be burned like that. The pain alone was killing them. It made my heart ache to see such misery. I can't even begin to imagine what you went through."

Slowly he reached up and covered her hand that rested on his scar. She could see his eyes start to glaze over as he relived his past and she regretted even bringing it up. "After the agni kai I was brought to my chambers. I don't remember any of it. All I do remember was the pain. It over whelmed me. I couldn't focus on anything but how much it hurt. Day and night I swam in a sea of agony. I could hear voices, mainly doctors and my uncle, but I never fully gained consciousness until about a week later. Even then the pain was so intense that at times it was hard to breath. My head had been bandaged so I couldn't see out of my left eye. There was talk that I might lose my vision as a result of the burn. I didn't care though. The physical pain was nothing compared to the pain in my heart. My father never came to see me. Even Azula had come at some point, mostly to gloat, but my father stayed away. When he finally called me into the throne room it was to tell me that I had dishonored myself by refusing to fight him. He banished me and sent me to search for the Avatar.

I left the only home I had ever known under the cover of darkness. It had been barely three weeks since the agni kai. I was still in a great deal of pain. The doctors gave my uncle various salves and medicines to prevent infection and ease the pain. It was up to him to nurse me back to health from that point on. When I left my homeland it was with the barest of crews, a bunch of misfits and outcasts like myself. My father didn't even see the need for the royal guards to protect me. If Uncle hadn't come with me I would have been totally alone."

"You're uncle was a good man for staying with you. He must love you very much."

"I have no doubt of his love for me now, but back then I thought that he came to ease his guilt. After all he was the one who let me in to the war room that day. I thought he blamed himself for what happened. Not once though did I ever see it that way. He always stood by me through the hardest of times. I remember when I first say my face without the bandages. He had tried to shield me from the horror as long as possible but I insisted on seeing the damage for myself. He unwrapped the bandages and stood back as I looked at my reflection. My face was still swollen and my left eye was completely shut from the wound. The skin was red and blistered and the hair surrounding my face was singed and gone in areas. I caught sight of what was left of my ear and lost control. In a rage I smashed the mirror and instructed my uncle to get rid of every one in sight. When I boarded my ship after my banishment Uncle had made sure that the mirrors were gone. I never looked at my reflection again. I knew that I looked hideous and I needed no mirrors to remind me of it. Over time I got used to how my face felt. My eye sight was compromised but not so much that I couldn't fight. I could still hear out of my damaged ear and after the pain subsided there were actually times when I could almost forget the scar completely." He looked into her eyes at that point and said softly, "You make me forget how I look. I have never felt so comfortable with anyone before except my uncle. In fact I hadn't thought much about my appearance until this afternoon at the market…"

"That woman was rude!" She exclaimed still angry over the whole incident.

"People can't help but react like that sometimes. It's just that when I see their faces I not only remember the scar, I also remember how I came by it. The agni kai and my banishment come back to me in a flash as if it had just happened again." He bent his head down no longer able to look at her.

She stood there overwhelmed by her feelings for him at that moment. A week ago she would have never guessed that there was so much sadness in his life. He had always been the enemy. He had been so driven by his need to capture Aang that he had stopped at nothing to take him. And now he was turning his back on his quest. It was hard to believe that he had come to such a decision but faced with the reality of the situation he really had no choice.

She found herself being drawn closer to him. She brought her hand up under his chin and raised his face level with hers. Silently she leaned in and softly kissed him on his scarred cheek. Slowly she continued with her light kisses covering the area of his scar. She stopped briefly by his ear and whispered, "You are not hideous to me. The scar is a part of who you are; no more different than the golden amber of your eyes." She placed her hand over his heart and continued; "Besides it's the man in here that matters most and that man is one with great honor."

Suddenly she felt his arms wrap tightly around her as he gave her a fierce hug. He pressed his face against her cheek and simply said, "Thank you."

With that he pulled back and looked into her eyes. His eyes bore into hers with an intensity that almost burned. He leaned into her and kissed her on the lips. She responded with a fierceness that she hadn't known she possessed. Wrapping her arms tightly around him she surrendered herself to her feelings. He deepened the kiss and continued his tight embrace. She started to feel lightheaded but couldn't tell if it was the exhaustion from healing the soldiers earlier or the excitement he was creating within her. Either way she let out a soft moan and swayed on her feet.

Zuko broke from the kiss and moved his hands to her shoulders. Holding her steady he looked into her eyes. "Are you ok?" he asked with concern in his voice.

She found it hard to speak at the moment so she nodded her head. He let out a deep sigh and leaned his forehead against hers. Speaking softly he said, "I promised myself earlier today that I was not going to do this."

"Do what?" she asked as she regained her voice.

"Kiss you. Become passionately involved with you. I don't want to compromise you or my decision making abilities."

She let out a small laugh remembering her same vow this morning. "I promised myself the same thing. I didn't want you to come to town with us because I was trying to put a little distance between us." She paused a moment and then said, "Whenever I'm around you I seem to lose my ability to focus on the task at hand."

It was his turn to laugh. "I know what you mean."

"Zuko," she said in a whisper, "I don't understand how this happened or when I started to feel this way, but I… I can't ignore it anymore. I care about you and I don't want to see anything bad happen to you. Please let us help you fight Azula. Please don't try to do it alone."

**Zuko stood absolutely still as he held her close. **She cared about him. She wanted him to be safe. He couldn't remember the last time anyone except his uncle had worried about his welfare. His heart felt elated and yet at the same time he felt a loss as well. He cared too, and it was because of that that he wanted her safely away from his sister and her evil ways. Slowly he drew back and looked at her. As he gazed into her eyes he could tell how difficult it had been for her to confide those feelings in him. Yet he knew that it would be equally as hard for him to express his true feelings back to her. Still he would try.

"Katara, I have never felt like this about anyone before. Somehow you have become a part of my life that I don't want to give up. I… I care about you as well. But it is exactly because of that that I want you safe. I don't want you to risk your life for me. This isn't your battle. I need to do this alone. You need to get away from me and go to Ba Sing Se."

Suddenly she broke free of his grasp and backed up. "How can you say that? How can you ask me to let you do something so foolish? We can help you. Together we can defeat you sister. You need to trust in us."

"I can't ask you or the others to do that. You must get Aang to Ba Sing Se so that he continues on in his training. The world is counting on him. It is counting on all of you."

"Zuko stop it! You can't fight her alone…"

"Yes Katara, I can and I will." He began to pace again and then stopped and looked at her. "Katara this has been incredible. What we have here is something I will always cherish, but it is not real. When all of this is over and you go back to your old life there will be no place for me in it." She started to speak in protest but he cut her off. "Search your heart Katara. You know it's true. Your brother will never accept me. And if he can't do that how do you think your father will feel, or your whole tribe for that matter? They will never accept me or us. In the end our feelings won't matter. The conflicts around us will tear us apart."

"I don't care what Sokka thinks and I don't know how my father would react. All I know is what I'm feeling right now in this moment. I want to be with you. I don't want you to leave. Please don't go."

The desperation in her voice made him doubt his convictions again. Why couldn't he trust them? Why was he so unsure of himself? No, he had to do this alone. He couldn't risk her life. No matter how much he wanted to stay or how much he needed her with him, he had to let her go. "Katara I have to do this."

"No you don't. You're just being stubborn. We can defeat her if we work together. I won't let you do this…"

He grabbed her shoulders again and pulled her close. "Katara stop it. You can't change my mind. Please just have faith in me. Trust in my instincts and my need to protect you." He turned his head and gave her a tender kiss against her temple. Whispering he said, "I will do everything in my power to find my uncle and return to you. Just believe in me."

He could feel her tears as they started to flow down her face and he hated that he was causing her so much pain. He stood there just holding her until she finally spoke. "Zuko, I don't want to talk about this anymore. Please can we drop it until the others come back? Just for now could we pretend that Azula doesn't exist? In fact could we just forget about everything; the Fire Nation, the war, my brother. I'm so tired and I can't think straight anymore. Just hold me until I fall asleep. I need to feel you next to me. Just for tonight can I pretend that you're going to stay? Tomorrow we can deal with the real world and all its problems."

Her idea didn't sound bad. It would be nice to put aside everything just for one night. To just be a boy and a girl who cared about each other and nothing else. He gave her a squeeze and said, "For tonight; we'll worry about tomorrow when it comes."

He broke from their embrace and sat down on the floor mat. He then motioned to her to come and lie down. She did so and he then lay behind her and embraced her. Holding tightly, her back against his chest, he marveled at how perfectly right she felt there. Her breathing became steady and he was amazed that she had fallen asleep so quickly. He decided to continue to hold her for a little while longer. Tonight; tonight he would pretend that she was his. That she would always be his.

Even with his best intentions in mind he could feel himself drifting off to sleep. In his dazed state he rationalized that he would wake before her brother came back. He just wanted to feel her by his side for a few moments more. With that thought on his mind he drifted off to sleep.

**A.N. **This chapter has been rattling around in my brain for some time now. I hope you enjoy it.


	18. Chapter 18

_I do not own Avatar or any of its characters._

**Decisions **

**They Landed Appa just outside of town. **The infirmary was a few minutes walk from there. Toph stayed back with Appa and Aang accompanied Sokka to get Katara and Zuko. He was still amazed that Sokka had left his sister alone with just the prince for company. Maybe Toph had been mistaken. Maybe Sokka wasn't worried about anything developing between Katara and Zuko. Maybe she was imagining things. He held on to that glimmer of hope as he was led to the room where Katara was resting. As Sokka opened the screen door his hopes evaporated in an instant. On the floor mat were Katara and Zuko sound asleep. They were lying together with the young fire bender's arm draped around Katara's waist. He held her tightly in sleep, almost protectively, Aang thought. For a moment he felt as if all the air had been somehow sucked out of the room and he found it difficult to breathe. He stood in shock unable to move when suddenly Sokka lunged forward yelling at the prince.

"You slimy little bastard, get your hands off my sister!" Aang suddenly sprang to life. He grabbed Sokka by the arm and held him back before he attacked Zuko. "Aang let me go. I'm going to teach this fire bending jerk a thing or two about respect."

Katara and Zuko were now awake from the noise Sokka was creating and Aang wondered if the rest of the infirmary could hear everything as well. "Sokka keep your voice down. We don't want any trouble."

"Trouble? You're afraid of a little trouble? I say bring them on. Zuko is going down and at this point I don't care who gets involved as long as I get the first punch." He pulled free of Aang's grasp and started for the prince.

Zuko sat up and tried to stand when Sokka's fist connected square with his jaw. The force of the blow sent him flying backwards, his head hitting the floor with a loud crack. Moving past a still dazed Katara Sokka made his way for the prince. "You've got some nerve making moves on my sister." He said through clenched teeth. Reaching Zuko he knelt down and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, pulling him up level with his face. Only inches separated them at that point and Sokka said in a deadly voice. "I trusted you to be alone with my sister and you went ahead and took advantage of her and the situation. You are nothing but a selfish, arrogant ass."

With that he released Zuko with a shove that sent him back to the floor. Before the prince could react Sokka started punching him in the ribs. He managed to get in a few jabs before Zuko gained control of the situation. Grabbing Sokka by the shoulders he lifted his head and with great force butted Sokka square on the forehead. The noise made Aang cringe and he wondered how either of them managed to stay conscious. Sokka fell back and grabbed his head. Zuko took that moment to jump to his feet. Quickly he was upon Sokka. Grabbing him from behind he pulled Katara's brother up off the floor. It was at that point that Aang noticed the knife in Zuko's hand and he silently cursed himself for ever mentioning the weapons earlier. The prince held the blade against Sokka's throat and bringing his face level to the warrior's ear he said angrily, "I have not taken advantage of Katara. I care about her too much. Of course that may be too much for your narrow little mind to allow but whether you want to acknowledge it or not I am a human being. I am capable of feelings just like anybody else. How I feel about your sister and how she feels about me though is our private affair, but in your complete stupidity you've gone and made this whole situation very public. While you're busy thinking of how they'll deal with me you have failed to realize that you've put everyone else in danger. Or have you forgotten that you have been harboring an enemy of the Earth Kingdom for over a week now?"

"I haven't forgotten anything, but letting you stay with us was never my idea. And judging by this situation now I should have insisted you stayed behind when your sister was closing in on us."

"This situation is a direct result of your inability to control yourself."

"More like your inability to control yourself around my sister!"

It was then that Katara spoke up, "Zuko has done nothing wrong Sokka. Have a little faith in me if you don't trust Zuko." She walked up to them and put her hand over Zuko's. "Please put the knife away before someone really gets hurt."

Aang noticed the look that passed between her and Zuko. It said more than any words could have. There was obviously a connection between these two that was strengthened today while they were in town. Slowly Zuko eased the knife from Sokka's throat. He stepped back and let him go.

Sokka looked at Katara and said, "How can you have feelings for him Katara? After every thing he's done to us or have you forgotten how he nearly destroyed our village and almost burned Kyoshi Island to the ground? He's a menace and he only cares about one person and that's himself."

"You don't know that." She answered defensively. "You know nothing about him because you haven't tried once during this whole week to find anything out."

"I don't need to find anything out about him Katara. He's Fire Nation; the freaking Prince of the Fire Nation for that matter. That's all I need to know. Fire Nation is all the same. They just want to destroy everyone else and take what ever they want. How many times did they raid our village Katara? How many times did we have to surrender food and furs for their comfort? In the end they took away everything that was dear to us, or have you conveniently forgotten about mom while you've been snuggling with Zuko?"

The words had barely passed his lips when Katara slapped him hard across the face. "Don't you ever accuse me of forgetting about mom! She died in my arms remember? Not a day goes by that I don't think about her. All I have to do is touch this necklace and I remember everything like it was yesterday. I will never forget her or the pain the Fire Nation brought on us that day, but I will not hold Zuko responsible for it. He wasn't even there."

Sokka rubbed his cheek where she had slapped him. "He didn't have to be there. He's just as responsible for it because his family started this war. His father continued to allow the raids to occur and given time he would do the same thing. Katara you are nothing more to him then some type of diversion. He may say he cares, but he wouldn't even know where to begin. He's using you to get to Aang but I won't allow it. We are leaving tonight and he is on his own. This situation has gotten way out of control. So I am stepping in and taking charge."

The room grew deathly quiet. Aang looked at Katara, She stood there with her lips pressed firmly together. The anger in her eyes was such that Aang had never seen before. When she finally spoke it was in a very controlled manner. "We don't have to do anything you say. No one has placed you in control of this group. Zuko is not leaving."

Before Sokka could reply Zuko spoke up, "No Katara, your brother is right I need to go. It is obvious from his reaction that he has no intention of continuing on to help find my uncle and as I have told you before I need to face Azula alone."

Suddenly tears sprang forth from her eyes and she spoke out with pain in her voice. "No Zuko, you can't do that. We are going with you…"

He grabbed her by the shoulders and looked intently in her eyes. "Katara it is over. I need to go out on my own. Go with Aang to Ba Sing Se. Get safe behind those walls and forget about me and my uncle. You know what you have to do. Now stop fighting it and do it." With that he let go of her and started towards the door. He stopped and looked at Aang and said, "I need to get the rest of my things from Appa then I'll be going."

He turned to leave when he was met by a doctor. The man looked angry but Aang couldn't blame him. After all they had made quite a lot of noise over the last few minutes and this was an infirmary. He looked at Zuko and spoke in a harsh voice, "From the moment I first saw you I thought that you may be the banished son of the Fire Lord. I've seen the wanted posters during my travels to other towns, and other than the lack of a pony tail and the grown out hair, you resembled him exactly. I mean how many young men have a scar like that one? But still I gave you the benefit of the doubt. After all, from the stories the soldiers had relayed when they were first brought in, the Dragon of the West had been traveling with his nephew, but that boy had been crushed under a pile of rocks. It would have been unlikely that he would have lived much less be walking about with only a few injuries to show for it. But then he," the doctor nodded towards Sokka, "mentioned that the girl could heal using water. Suddenly it all made sense. Still I needed her healing abilities more than I needed to turn over Fire Nation filth like you to the authorities. So I used her to heal them and in exchange I rewrapped your arm for you. It seemed a reasonable exchange; five lives for one, no matter how distasteful helping you was to me. It is because of what she did that I am willing to spare your life, but others won't feel such a similar sense of obligation as me. I suggest you leave, all of you. The argument from earlier was heard by a lot more people than myself. Those people won't care so much what the water tribe girl did for the soldiers. They'll turn you in in a heartbeat. In fact I'm sure some are doing that already. Your time here is done."

Zuko replied tersely, "I was just leaving."

"We're all leaving." Aang spoke up.

The doctor looked at him and said, "I don't understand why you would rescue him let alone continue to travel with him. The Fire Nation doesn't care what happens to the world as long as they control it. As the Avatar I would have thought you would have realized that by now." Aang looked at him a little puzzled and the doctor said, "Oh I know who you are. I've seen the wanted posters for you as well during my travels. Doctors are hard to come by in the Earth Kingdom. Many are off on the front lines caring for the wounded soldiers. Those of us left behind travel from town to town to care for the common people. Just one more thing the Fire Nation has done to make our lives harder. Think about that while you're off protecting him."

Aang looked at the doctor. No words came to mind. He had a right to feel resentment, but they also had a right to help Zuko. They did what they had to do and he was not about to defend their actions. He simply replied. "Thank you for your assistance. We'll be leaving now."

With that they headed out of the infirmary and walked quickly, yet silently to Appa.

**Toph felt the vibrations from their footsteps as they approached her. **They were moving rather quickly. To the distance behind them she could sense the footsteps of ten maybe twenty people and she realized that they must have run into some trouble back at the infirmary.

As her friends approached Aang yelled, "Get to Appa! We need to get out of here and fast!"

"What's going on? You guys were just supposed to pick up Katara and Zuko not an angry mob as well." She replied smartly as they climbed onto Appa's back.

"Ask Sokka." Katara responded angrily.

"Hey don't pin this on me. I wasn't the one playing kissy-poo, snuggly-poo with the prince."

"Enough!" Aang yelled from his position on Appa's head. "We don't need anymore arguing at this point." He grew quiet and then called to the prince, "Zuko we need to go. Hurry up and climb on board so that we can go before there's any trouble."

"I'm not going with you. This is where we part ways. That doctor was right; you shouldn't be traveling with me."

"Look, those people are drawing closer and you are not going to be able to get away so that you get that chance to fight your sister. I suggest that you come with us for now. We can debate the other issue once we're safely away from here."

"No, I'm staying."

"For crying out loud Zuko get your stubborn butt up here on this bison so that we can go." Toph called out in the direction of his voice. "Aang just blast him on up here and let's leave!"

"Not a bad idea," Aang responded and then in an instant she felt a cool draft of air as Zuko was lifted from the ground and plopped unceremoniously onto Appa's back. He let out a muffled complaint, but Appa was already in the air and flying away.

"Guess you're stuck with us for now." She said.

"For now being the idea." Sokka mumbled. "He attracts way too much trouble."

"Hey I wasn't the one shooting off my mouth about the Fire Nation." Zuko shot back.

"No, you were too busy making the moves on my sister to be bothered."

"Whoa, slow down," Toph interjected. "Are you telling me that you two came in on a romantic moment between our little water bending master and the prince here?"

"We were not having a romantic moment." Katara yelled. "Zuko and I fell asleep. That's all. My brother here just got his imagination going and created a scene for the entire infirmary to hear."

"Just sleeping?! He had his hands all over you. Who knows what was going on while we were gone?"

"Why don't you get your mind out of the gutter and show your sister a little respect." Zuko cut in.

"Respect? Like you were really respecting her back there." Sokka replied heatedly.

"Are you questioning my honor in regards to Katara?"

"Oh no, I would never want to question your honor. We all know how important that is to you." Sokka stated sarcastically.

"Hey we can take this up right where we left off earlier."

"It would be my pleasure."

"Whoa, slow down guys. The adolescent male hormones are beginning to overwhelm us delicate females – and Twinkle Toes over there. You two need to cool it before someone goes flying off of Appa's back!" Toph said.

"He started it." Zuko said sullenly.

"Oh sure, it's always my fault."

"Well usually it is, Sokka." She replied.

"Gotta agree with her there, tough guy." Katara chimed in.

"Hey, you stay out of this. Technically you are still in trouble with me."

"I'm in trouble?! You're the one that caused an angry mob to chase us out of town. If anyone should be hanging their head in shame it should be you."

'The angry mob was after your boyfriend."

"He is not my boyfriend!" She stated at the exact same time that Zuko said, "She is not my girlfriend."

Everyone grew quiet at the awkwardness of the moment. Finally Toph spoke up, "Well I guess that settles that. Katara and Zuko are officially not a couple. So got anything else you want to whine about before we make camp?"

"Very funny, but they can deny that something is going on all they want to. I'll still be watching them like a hawk. One false move and I'll…"

"You'll what Sokka? Geez lighten up a little. I mean your sister has been stuck with you and Aang for almost a year now; it's got to get a little old. I mean I've been traveling with you for a few months and I'm already going a little crazy. Zuko's like the first real guy she's been around since, well I don't know, when was the last time you were around a normal guy Katara?"

"Beats me." She replied.

"See! There you go. She can't even remember it's been so long. So back off and let her enjoy a little male company that's not so - hmm let me see how can I say this nicely? – so obnoxious."

"I am not obnoxious." He sulked. "Well not all the time."

"Oh don't act so sad Sokka. We still love you." With that she gave him a hard punch in the arm.

"Ouch! That hurt."

"Yeah well it would have hurt a lot more if I had let Zuko here ring your neck. Consider yourself lucky."

"Hey I hate to break this up, "Aang spoke up, "but I think we can touch down and make camp. We've put a pretty good distance between us and the village."

"Sounds good to me." She replied. "I'm ready to feel the earth beneath my feet again."

"Yeah there's nothing better than a night spent sleeping on the hard ground, again." Sokka complained.

"Well you could always snuggle up against Zuko. Apparently he makes for a nice soft pillow. Isn't that right Katara?"

"Drop it Toph. It's not funny anymore"

"Sure it's funny when she harassing me, but if she starts up with you it loses its appeal." Sokka said.

Katara didn't reply. The five youth grew quiet as they waited for Aang to land Appa. Solid ground would be nice, thought Toph. That and a full night's sleep.

**Aang eased Appa to the ground and Katara quietly slid off of the animal's back and started to unpack**. Toph followed suit with Zuko behind her. Sokka stayed on Appa tossing their things down so that they could set up camp. When he got to Zuko's things he tossed them at the young prince and said, "There, that should be all of your stuff. Now you can leave."

"Zuko's not going anywhere." Aang stated. "We all just need a good night's sleep and then we can face the issue of his sister in the morning."

"There's nothing to face." Zuko replied. "Sokka's right, I am leaving. Tonight would be best."

"Hey I know you guys have exchanged some pretty harsh words and tensions are pretty high, but you shouldn't let that cause you to react rashly."

"This has nothing to do with him." Zuko yelled as he pointed to Sokka. "I need to find my uncle by myself. Having Azula in the picture changes everything. I can't ask you all to fight her with me. She never plays fair and you would be walking into a trap."

"Oh she never plays fair does she? Well we wouldn't know anything about people not playing fair would we?" Katara butted in. She was tired of Zuko's stubbornness on this issue. She said sarcastically, "I mean really over the last year people have been so straight forward and honest with us. Haven't they Aang?" She turned and looked at him.

"Yeah like that time that Admiral Zhao captured me and threatened to keep me barely alive rather than kill me and risk the Fire Nation having to look for the Avatar all over again."

"Hey and how about that time at that Earth Kingdom base when that crazy general almost buried Katara alive just to bring on your Avatar state. That was really fair." Sokka stated.

"Tell me about it." Katara added. "I'm still having nightmares about that one. Of course there was that time when that weird village tried Aang for the murder of their leader during one of his past lives. Lucky for us that those guys on the rhinos showed up and the town suddenly needed your help or you would have been a goner."

"Yeah that was a pretty close call." Aang agreed.

"Ok, so I get the point. You've dealt with some real crazy things in the past, but no one like Azula."

"You know Zuko you act like your sister is this unconquerable force." Toph spoke up. "I mean yesterday you were all for us helping you defeat almost twenty Earth Kingdom soldiers – twenty benders I may add – to rescue your uncle. That's four soldiers a piece if you include Sokka in the fight. But the minute you find out that your crazy sister has him you're singing a different tune. I mean she may be good but she's not that good that we can't take her."

"You don't understand…" he started but Toph cut him off.

"No, I don't understand. You chase Aang all over the world to capture him and take him home to your dad. Why is that Zuko?" She asked.

"Because he's the Avatar…"

"Exactly! He's the most powerful person alive, once he becomes fully realized. If he masters the four elements before Sozen's comet returns he can defeat the Fire Lord and the Fire Nation will fall. That's pretty awesome if you ask me. But you seem to think that if he runs into your little sister that's all going to change. You're suddenly worried that she's going to somehow seriously injure or kill him…"

"It's not the Avatar that I'm worried about!" he blurted out in frustration. Everyone grew silent and Aang and Sokka looked at Katara. She felt herself blush and looked down.

"Oh, I get it now." Toph said in a drawn out manner. "You're worried that Azula is going to hurt Katara because you like her."

Katara blushed further. She felt Zuko tense beside her and she knew that he was just as embarrassed as she was. "You don't understand." He spoke softly. "My sister is a very skilled fighter but she is also very shrewd. She assesses the situation and then takes advantage of any weakness that she perceives. At that village that day she knew that we had her beat. She knew that she would have to find some way to escape but before she did she struck at my uncle. She took him out because he was a threat, but more so because she knew that it would hurt me as well. If she decides that Katara is important to me then she will use that and try to hurt her to get back at me. I won't let that happen." He started to gather his things. "It's best that I go alone."

Katara put her hand on Zuko's arm. He had confided only a few short hours ago that he cared about her and she had expressed the same feelings for him. Now he was willing to face Azula alone to protect her. She had to try one more time to make him see reason. "Zuko, you don't have to do this. You are approaching this situation as you have always approached things in the past, thinking you have no one on your side. From a young age you've had to face things on your own. From what you've told me, the people in your life that you've counted on the most have let you down and the only person you could rely on was yourself. But it doesn't have to be like that with us. I know that we have been enemies in the past, but things have changed. We don't have to fight on opposite sides anymore. If you would let us help you we could work together and defeat your sister. Trust us."

He looked at her intently as if he were searching her soul to see if she was really telling the truth. "I want to trust you, I really do, but too much has happened between all of us to make me believe that we could ever fight on the same side. No matter how you or I may feel about each other, there are more people to consider here."

"I don't know all the details about your past Zuko, but I do think that if we work together we could take down your sister." Aang spoke up. "After all you and I made a pretty good team fighting our way out of that prison hold. I think that together we could handle Azula."

"Whoa, slow down Aang." Sokka interrupted. "What are you talking about? I thought the Blue Spirit rescued you from that prison hold, not Zuko."

Katara looked at her brother and responded, "Sokka, Zuko is the Blue Spirit."

"No way Katara. Why would Zuko help Aang?"

"I did it to keep Zhao from getting his hands on the Avatar. If he brought him back to the Fire Nation I would have been exiled forever. I couldn't let that happen. There was nothing noble about my efforts." Zuko explained. He then turned to Aang and spoke, "Everything that I have done over the past few years has been for one reason and that was to regain my father's favor. I have gone to extreme lengths to find you and bring you home. How can you forget all that and just agree to fight Azula on my side? How can you trust that I won't try to capture you again?"

"That's the thing about trust Zuko, you just have to believe. Yes, you have done some wild things to us over the past year, but having spent this past week in your company I believe that you are not the same person that I met back at the South Pole. Obviously your status and position within your own nation has changed, your resources have been eliminated, and you are now on the run from the Fire Nation as well. You may not want to admit it but you need us. And believe it or not I think we would benefit from your help as well."

"Oh get out of here Aang!" Sokka blurted. "Just how could we need his help?"

"Well, I still need to learn fire bending and Zuko can fire bend."

"Yeah, but he's no master."

"His uncle is." Katara spoke up. "Once we rescue him he could train Aang."

True," Aang said. "Besides, when Zuko rescued me as the Blue Spirit he didn't fire bend at all. He fought off all those soldiers with his broad swords. I think as a warrior you could appreciate that, Sokka. Maybe he could train with you…"

"Augh! This is absolutely insane. You may be all into this touchy-feely conversation with the prince here, but I'm not buying any of it. The last thing I want to do is train with Zuko."

"You know Sokka, training does involve actual fighting." Toph contributed. "Think about it, you could get a shot at Zuko everyday and no one would try and stop you."

"Appealing as that may be I still would have to turn it down. I don't trust him."

"Sokka I know it's asking a lot from you, but completing Aang's mission has involved a great deal of sacrifices along the way. We've had to rely on a lot of different people for help. Zuko has a great deal to offer our group and his uncle would make an excellent teacher for Aang. If we work together we could have Aang ready to face the Fire Lord before the Solstice."

"And why would either of them want to help us defeat the Fire Lord?"

"Because this war needs to end." Zuko spoke up. "It's like you said the other night, too many people have died already. I cannot sit back anymore and let it continue and I know that my uncle lost his desire for battle a long time ago."

"So you're telling me that you've suddenly decided to change sides and fight against your father?"

"I'm not saying any such thing. I want the war to end, but I have no set plans for how to bring that about. Right now I just want to get my uncle away from Azula."

"Then let us help you." Katara said again. Zuko grew quiet and Katara knew that he was considering it. He looked at her for a moment and then he looked at Aang, Sokka, and Toph in turn. Finally he gaze returned again to her face. She knew that he was battling so many demons tonight. He had confided so much in her and made so many tough decisions as it was. She wished that there was something that she could do or say to make it easier for him but this decision was his alone. He would have to trust them. It was that simple. And yet for him it would be the hardest thing of all.

Finally he spoke. "Katara, I just want for you to be safe."

"Zuko eventually your sister will come for us. She is bent on capturing Aang. We will have to fight her, with or without you. I would rather have you here with us when that time comes, fighting by our side."

"This is so hard." He whispered.

"I know it is." She replied. And then not caring what Sokka or anyone would think she took him in her arms and embraced him fiercely. He held on just as tight and they stood silently for a moment.

When he finally spoke it was in a voice so soft she could barely hear him. "I'll stay." He said. "If everyone agrees I'll stay and work with you to defeat Azula and rescue my uncle."

She smiled and released a pent up breath. He was going to stay! She gave him one last squeeze and released him. Turning to the group she asked, "So are you all ok with Zuko staying?"

Aang nodded his head and Toph said, "I already said that I liked having him around. It's no problem for me."

All eyes suddenly were on Sokka. "Oh sure leave it up to me to make the final decision. You know how I feel about this."

"Sokka it's taken a lot of trust for Zuko to stay with us, but it goes both ways. Please if you can't trust him then trust me. I would never do anything to jeopardize Aang's life or anyone else's. Please give him a chance."

Sokka grew silent. He stared at Zuko for a few moments and then reluctantly said, "Better to keep your enemies close. At least this way I'll know what he's up to."

"Oh Sokka thank you!" she exclaimed and then she threw her arms around him and gave him a big hug. "I knew I could count on you."

"Yeah, yeah, sure you're all nice to me now, but don't get too comfortable around the prince. I'm still going to be watching you. And I'm especially going to watching him."

Katara didn't care. Sokka could be as over protective as he wanted to be. Zuko was staying; that was all that mattered to her. Tomorrow they could figure out a plan to rescue Iroh, but for now she was content to just enjoy all that this night had brought. She turned back to Zuko and smiled. He returned her smile with a weary one. She knew that it had taken a lot for him to agree to stay. So much had changed in his life in such a few short hours and she knew that he had a great deal to think about. They all did for that matter.

"Well it's been a long day." Toph spoke up. "I say we hit the nice cool ground and get some sleep before we have to go find his crazy sister. Oh, and welcome to the group Zuko. Tomorrow Katara will have your lists of duties and responsibilities all laid out for you." She turned towards Katara and said jokingly, "Make sure it's the stuff we all hate to do."

As she went off to make her rock tent for the night, Aang approached Zuko and said, "I think you made a good choice. Together we'll find your uncle and then we can deal with whatever else is thrown our way." He turned to Katara gave her a quick hug. "You should really get some sleep. We're going to be very busy tomorrow."

She felt her own exhaustion creeping in. She had forgotten just how tired she had been earlier. Now that she knew that Zuko was staying she felt that she would definitely sleep better. "You're right Aang. I am pretty tired. I'll turn in in a moment."

"Ok." he said and walked off to Appa to sleep leaving her alone with Zuko and Sokka.

"Well I guess this would be where you two give each other a good night kiss. Of course it isn't going to happen. Not with me around." Sokka stated. He looked at Zuko and said, "Remember she is still my little sister and I am in charge of her well being while our dad is away. Come on Katara let's get to bed."

He tugged her arm but she pulled free. Walking over to Zuko she quickly gave him a kiss on the cheek and whispered, "He may think he's in charge of me but he's not."

Zuko smiled and said, "Thank you Katara."

"For what?" she asked.

"For believing in me. For standing up for me tonight and for making me see past my own reservations."

She returned his smile and said, "I couldn't let you face her alone. Not when you have us to stand by you. Together we'll face her and we'll get your uncle back."

This time when he smiled at her it reached his eyes. "Go get some rest Katara. You deserve a good night's sleep"

"You too." She said as she turned to get her sleeping bag. Her mind went back to earlier in the evening. She had liked falling asleep in his arms. She had felt so safe and protected. Of course that wasn't going to happen again now that Sokka was breathing down her neck. Still she kept the image in her mind as she drifted off too sleep. A smile played across her lips. Zuko was staying. He trusted her enough to stay.

**A.N. **This chapter was the hardest one to write. This is my third draft. Originally Zuko left, but I wasn't happy with the way the story flowed from there so then I had him stay with a little encouragement (roughing up) from Toph. After almost completing that version I still wasn't happy. Toph came across too much like Azula in her taunting so I scrapped it again. This time I was happy with the results. So here it is a little after midnight and I can finally get some sleep myself.

I hope you enjoyed reading it. Please let me know.


	19. Chapter 19

_I do not own Avatar ar any of its charactors._

**Complications**

**Aang sat by the fire staring at Zuko as he slept**. It had been a long day for everyone and they had all fallen asleep; everyone except for himself. There was so much to think about. So much had happened in the last twenty four hours. It was still hard to believe that they had agreed to a truce. Zuko was now traveling with them and they were all working together to find his sister and rescue his uncle. What happened after they found Iroh was still uncertain. Whether or not Zuko was truly ready to abandon his father's demands or not remained to be seen. He, for now was content to take it one day at a time. He really had no choice. If Zuko could be convinced to join them and Iroh could teach him to fire bend, then he would be almost to the end of his journey. By the Summer Solstice he would face Fire Lord Ozai and the fate of the world would be decided.

He thought back over the day. They had woken at sunrise and decided on their plans for finding Azula. Zuko had pointed out that she had never made it as far as the village where they had stopped the previous day. He felt that she must have turned back once she had captured her uncle. His guess was that she had figured out their previous route and was following it, unaware that they had changed course again. If they were to resume their original course they should find her or vice versa. Aang hoped it was they that found Azula. Any surprise that they could muster would be an asset in this battle.

Everyone agreed with the prince's deductions and Sokka stated that it may be a good idea to let their presence be known by stopping at the towns along the way to purchase goods and gather information. If Azula got wind of their whereabouts she would come looking and it would end their search a lot sooner. So with that in mind they had loaded Appa and started on their journey. Though everyone was well rested from a quiet night's sleep, the mood among the group was still somber. Sokka still did not trust Zuko and to make matters worse he was now suspicious of every move the fire bender made around Katara. Aang for the most part was still in shock from the realization that Katara and Zuko shared mutual feelings of affection for each other. Zuko and Katara had kept their distance. The previous evening had been an emotional one and he wasn't sure just what they were thinking about it and about each other. They almost seemed uncomfortable expressing their feelings now that everyone was aware of how they felt about each other. In fact the only person who didn't seem uncomfortable with the whole idea of a romantic link between the prince and Katara was Toph. She seemed to find it all very amusing and kidded the two every chance she got.

They spent the morning flying towards their original route. As the noon day sun started to beat down on them they decided to land and eat a light lunch. Aang found a nice area near a small lake and touched down. It was during their meal that Toph suggested they set up camp and spend the rest of the day training and preparing for the fight with Azula. After all, she had insisted, Zuko still needed to build up some stamina or he would be of no help during a fight. Surprisingly the prince agreed without a fuss.

It had been awhile since any of them had done some serious training. Yesterday he and Toph had practiced a few moves and she had taught him some new ones as well, but still it hadn't been a hard core session. At first it felt odd working with Zuko instead of against him. It was obvious that the prince was still feeling a little weak but he trained just as hard as the rest of them. Aang could see the exhaustion on the fire bender's face at times but Zuko kept plugging along stopping occasionally for a drink or to catch his breath. Finally Katara had called an end to the practice session and suggested that they all cool down with a swim before dinner.

They all had stripped down and entered the water. Toph of course kept herself close to the shore stating that the ground was too soft in the lake bed and she wasn't comfortable swimming where she couldn't 'see'. Aang couldn't help but catch Katara blush when Zuko dove in for a swim. It bothered him that she could be attracted to the prince but still he held out hope that those feelings would change over time. After all Katara and Zuko were very different in nature, eventually her infatuation would fade as his true personality presented itself day after day. Maybe she would see that the fire bender was all wrong for her and that he, Aang, was who she truly belonged with.

They swam for a while but Zuko had tired quickly. The day had finally caught up to him and he barely made it through dinner before falling asleep. The rest of them had sat up for a while discussing the day and what they thought would happen when they found Azula. Finally Toph and Sokka had fallen asleep as well. He was unaware of just how long he sat there. After some time he looked over at Katara asleep on her mat. He assumed she was sleeping when she rolled over spoke.

"You're still awake?" she asked.

He startled at the sound of her voice and then replied, "I couldn't sleep. I've got a lot on my mind."

She sat up and moved closer to him so that they could talk in hushed tones and not disturb the others. "Aang, you're not worried about Azula are you?"

"No, not really. I think we can take her no problem."

"Is it Zuko?" she continued her questioning.

Of course it was Zuko, but it wasn't for the reasons that she probably thought. He responded, "It is kind of weird having him here. I guess it will just take a little getting used to."

"Aang," she started, "I really appreciate you giving him a chance. Not many people have done that for him in his life. I know that he will prove himself a worthy ally."

Aang stared at her for a moment and then looked back at Zuko. He had hoped that her feelings for the prince were only physical in nature but suddenly he started to remember all the times over the past few days in which Katara seemed to know things about Zuko that only a long time friend would share. He thought back to the other night after Zuko's nightmare. He remembered the prince's words to Katara; _"It was about my uncle. I was back in the canyon where I found him before the winter solstice; you know the time I told you about when he had been captured before." _And the fact that she knew that Zuko was the Blue Spirit. He had never told her or Sokka about it. It just didn't seem necessary, but Zuko had told her.

Of course last night it had become painfully obvious just how much he had been confiding in her. He thought back to Katara trying to convince the prince to stay: _"From a young age you've had to face things on your own. From what you've told me, the people in your life that you've counted on the most have let you down and the only person you could rely on was yourself. But it doesn't have to be like that with us." _Last night he had brushed the remark aside, but now as he thought about it he realized that Katara and Zuko had grown very close over the past week and a half.

He started to feel a tightness in his chest. How could she have fallen for Zuko? He was their enemy, had been since the first time they saw him. Aang had always been her friend. They had been there for each other many times over the course of their travels. She had always listened to him and comforted him when he felt sad. She had taught him water bending and faced many dangerous foes to help him realize his destiny. He always thought that she would be by his side. Heck, even Madam Wu had said that she would marry a powerful bender. He just assumed she meant him. After all he was the Avatar. Once he mastered fire he would be _the_ most powerful bender in the world. And then in the cave on the way to Omashu she had kissed him. Of course the circumstances were a little strained at the time, but they had kissed. That had to mean something.

Now Zuko had entered the picture and all that he had hoped would happen seemed to be slipping away. He loved Katara. Why couldn't she love him back in the same way? Why did she have to go and fall for Zuko?

"Aang," he felt her hand on his arm, "Are you ok? You really seemed upset tonight."

He turned his gaze back to her face and hoped that the pain he was feeling wouldn't register in his expression. He replied softly. "When did you start liking Zuko? I thought you hated him. I never would have thought in a million years that the two of you would care about each other."

He watched as her eyes grew big at his statement. She made a slight gasp and straightened where she sat. "Aang, I don't know what to say. It just sort of happened. I mean I never expected to have feelings for him and I would never have believed that he could have feelings for anyone, especially me. But that's it; I never looked beyond who he was on the outside. I always saw him as just the enemy, nothing else. Now I know differently. I've learned things about him and I know how hard this past year has been for him as well. It doesn't excuse the things he's done to us, but it helps to understand why he did them. And now he's willing to change. Giving up on bringing you to his father is probably the hardest decision he ever had to make, but he did it. Everything about his life has changed in a few short days. He needs our trust and more importantly he needs our friendship. I can't change the way I feel, Aang. I do care about him and I'm sorry if that bothers you or Sokka."

"Bother me! Why would it bother me? The guy has only been chasing us for almost a year, trying to capture me at the most opportune moment. Why should I care if the girl that I lo…" he stopped himself before he said it. Composing himself he continued on, "…if you, like him. Hey, good for you Katara. I'm really happy that you've found someone."

He stood abruptly, now embarrassed by what he had said. She too stood and walked over to him. "Aang, I'm so sorry. I just never thought about how you might feel about me and Zuko… about me and you."

He looked up at her and blushed with shame. He felt so childish. He had really made a fool of himself. "Katara it's ok. Don't feel bad about it. It's my problem."

"No Aang. You're my friend, my best friend. Ever since I found you in that iceberg we have shared a special bond. You have this way about you that makes me feel so confident in myself. You believed in me from the moment we met and you helped me to get to the North Pole to train with Master Pakku. I can't express how strongly I feel about our friendship. I do care about you Aang. I love you like a brother." He winced at her remark. She paused noticing his reaction and then said, "Aang that sounded bad. It's just that I do have feelings for you, and at one time I had entertained the notion of us as a couple. After our experience with Madam Wu I believed that we may have been destined to be together. But that would have been foolish; basing a relationship on a prediction of a fortune teller. I realize now that I value you more as a friend, a friend that I would be devastated to ever lose. But I'll be honest with you; if my feelings for Zuko are going to destroy our friendship then I will back off. No matter how I feel about him, you are too important to me to lose."

He stood stunned at her statement. Would she really give up her budding romance with the prince if he told her too? Of course what kind of a friend would he be if he held his selfish desires over her feelings for Zuko? "No Katara, I can't ask you to do that. Our friendship is too important to me as well. I want you to be happy and if that means you and Zuko together then so be it. But if he ever does anything to make me doubt his intentions towards you, I will be right there with Sokka to beat his butt."

She let out a slight laugh and then gave him a strong hug. "Aang, I do love you. Never forget that. You are and will always be dear to me."

"Feeling's mutual." He hugged her back. He could feel the tightness in his chest ease as it moved into his stomach. He wished the conversation could have ended differently, but for now he would have to let her go. Maybe down the road when they were older and she had gone back to her life in the South Pole, they would put this thing with Zuko behind them and he and she could become something more. He held on to that as they parted from their embrace and he went off to lay with Appa. He still didn't think he would sleep, but it was worth a try.

**Katara lay on her sleeping bag stunned at the conversation she just had with Aang. **How could she have not known that he felt so strongly about her? All this time that they had been traveling together he had been harboring such intense feelings for her and she had been clueless. She thought back to the cave on the way to Omashu when she had suggested that they kiss and he had gotten all weird and then insulted her. She had assumed that he wasn't attracted to her. But he had really wanted to kiss her. And then a few moments ago he had almost said that he loved her. Those were such strong words. She cared about Zuko but she wouldn't go as far as to say that she was in love with him and they had kissed, rather passionately at that. She and Aang had just shared a quick peck on the lips, yet he felt so much more.

How had things gotten so complicated she wondered? Two weeks ago they were just happy to have Appa back and be heading to Ba Sing Se. Now she was caught up in these feelings for Zuko and Aang was going on about feelings for her. She felt tears of frustration start to make their way down her cheeks. She did love Aang and the last thing she wanted to do was cause him more pain. He had suffered enough since she had found him. Still she couldn't deny her feelings for Zuko. It just didn't seem fair. Why did she always seem to fall for the guys that seemed all wrong for her? Why couldn't she just have feelings for Aang? It would definitely make her life easier. After all Aang was the Avatar. Bringing him home to meet the family would go over a whole lot better than the prince of the Fire Nation. But that just wasn't the way it was. She felt something for Zuko that she had never felt for Aang. Aside from the emotional bond, Zuko made her heart race. Being around him was exciting, his mere touch was electrifying. Today at the lake she had caught herself staring as he stripped down to his underclothes. His body was perfect, every muscle well defined. She had wanted to reach out and just touch him but she knew that that would have gone over real well with her brother and Aang watching.

She felt so frustrated. She cared about Zuko and she wanted to be with him, alone with him. She enjoyed their private conversations and she would be lying if she said she didn't also enjoy the time she spent in his arms. But now she was constantly on guard and so was Zuko. Today had been very awkward. Sokka had been true to his word and watched their every move. They hadn't had one moment to even talk. She found herself missing Zuko even though he was there the entire time. Something would have to give or she was going to go crazy.

She sat up and gazed at the fire. She was now too agitated to sleep. Everything was so confusing. She should have been focusing on Azula and rescuing Zuko's uncle, but she couldn't stop thinking about the prince.

"Damn it!" she exclaimed. Her voice sounded so loud in the darkness and she cringed as she anticipated everyone waking up. She looked around camp but everyone was still asleep, even Aang. Just great, she thought, he's asleep and now I'm stuck awake.

It was then that she heard Zuko's voice, still groggy from sleep call out to her, "Katara?"

She looked over to his mat and saw him start to sit up. He was rubbing the sleep from his eyes. As he turned and looked at her and she felt her stomach do a somersault. He looked so cute, like a little boy. But he was no boy. She had realized that today at the lake. She spoke softly in reply, "It's ok Zuko. Go back to bed. I was just letting out a little steam."

Surprisingly he let out a little laugh and said, "The 'hawk' getting to you too?"

It was her turn to laugh at his reference to Sokka. "Well it has been a little frustrating. I never got a chance to be alone with you today."

"We're alone now", he whispered, " and if we're careful we may actually get to spend some time together before big brother wakes up."

She caught herself smiling at his words. "I'll make sure to be extra careful."

He stared at her for a moment and then patted the spot on his mat next to him and said, "Come here."

She was quick to respond and in no time was sitting next to him. He reached out and took her hand in his. Slowly he stroked her palm and then her fingers. He spoke softly, "I didn't realize how much I enjoyed our time together until today. It was driving me crazy to be around you and not be able to talk to you…" he paused and then even softer he said, "…to touch you. Today at the lake I thought I was going to go insane."

She gave him a puzzled look and he responded. "You have no idea how you look in your underclothes do you?"

She began to worry and said nervously, "I know that I'm not as pretty as other girls…"

"Not as pretty!" he exclaimed, "Are you crazy? You looked incredible. It took all my self control to keep my hands off of you."

She felt herself blush a deep red and was glad for the darkness. "Well then it was a good thing that Sokka was there because I was having a hard time keeping my hands off of you too." She said and then blushed even more at her boldness.

He stopped stroking her hand and turned to look at her. "Katara, this is all so new for me. I've never had a girl take an interest in me before and to be honest I really didn't have much interest in girls until I met you. Now all I can do is think about you. When I'm not with you I think about when I will be with you and when I'm with you I think about how much I just want to touch you."

He released her hand and brought his own up to her face. With the back of his hand he slowly brushed his fingers and knuckles against her cheek. She breathed in deeply at his touch and he continued following the line of her jaw and then down her neck. She could feel her body come alive at his touch and she let out an involuntary gasp. His gaze became more intense as he moved his hand from her neck to her shoulder and then down her arm. With the slightest touch he stroked her arm. His fingers were feather soft caresses on her skin.

"Zuko," she stated in a breathless voice.

He grew still and then moved in slightly towards her. Gently he kissed her lips and then pulled back. "Katara, we should stop this now before we get carried away."

At that point she didn't care. She wanted to get carried away. She looked at him and brought her hand up to his face. Mimicking his earlier actions she traced the outline of his jaw and then slowly she ran her fingers down his neck but instead of continuing down his arms she laid her hand on his chest. She could feel his heart beating fast and she knew hers was responding in kind. She then leaned in and returned his kiss. He reached up and placed his hand behind her head pulling her even tighter against his mouth. She suddenly felt as if she were on fire. She couldn't get enough of his touch. Frantically she reached for him. All day she had longed to be once again in his arms. Now that she was there she didn't want to ever leave again. But all too soon she felt Zuko pull back.

Breathlessly he said, "Katara we need to stop. I… if we keep going I won't be able… I won't want to… I don't want to do anything that we'll regret."

She looked into his eyes. She could tell that he was struggling for control over his feelings and she was suddenly thankful that one of them was thinking rationally. She focused on her breathing and calming herself slightly she spoke, "I never intended for that to happen. I just wanted to be with you, but as soon as I'm around you I just get… I don't know… I just seem to lose control."

Taking her hand again he said, "Katara we really need to be careful when were together. If your brother found us alone like this he would go crazy."

"He's not the only one we need to be careful around." She said with sadness in her voice. Suddenly the events of the evening caught up with her and she felt the tears start to fall again.

"What's going on Katara?"

She was silent as she regained her composure and finally said, "Aang shared his feelings for me tonight. He's been harboring a crush for some time now, only I was unaware of it. I feel horrible. I know that he's hurt because of us but I can't help how I feel. If he found us being intimate he would be devastated."

Zuko let out a long sigh. "Could this get any more complicated? Why does it have to be so difficult?"

"Do you really need to ask?" She said half joking, half serious.

"No, I guess I don't." He replied.

They sat in silence thinking over what had transpired. Finally she pulled her hand from Zuko's and turning her back towards him she leaned against his chest. Instinctively he placed his arms over her shoulders and embraced her from behind. His head rested lightly against hers. She could feel his breath in her ear. He then spoke softly, "We're going to have to be patient. Everything is just too new right now. Given time your brother may accept our feelings and Aang will find someone else who will capture his attention. You and I will just be old news."

She smiled at that. "Yeah old news, that'll be the day. Maybe when we're like a hundred years old. Sokka is way too stubborn."

"He just needs a distraction. Know any 'distractions' that we could use to get him out of our hair?" he said teasingly.

She thought of Suki. Too bad she was off somewhere fighting in the war. She would be a great distraction for Sokka. "The only distraction I can think of is somewhere in the Earth Kingdom fighting the Fire Nation. But who knows maybe we'll bump into her someday soon."

"Soon would be nice." He replied. Again they sat in silence. Slowly the sky went from black to purple and then a shade of pink. She hadn't realized that it was so close to dawn. Together they watched the sunrise. Then reluctantly she moved from his embrace.

"They'll be waking up soon. I better get breakfast started." She stood and went to the fire. She added more kindling and then started on the meal. Zuko also got up and started to pack up their things. Today they would be stopping in a town they spotted yesterday. Maybe with luck they would gather some news of Azula and her whereabouts. As the meal cooked Katara sat back down. Zuko came over and stood behind her. He gave her shoulder a quick squeeze and then moved across the fire from her. He had barely sat down when she heard her brother's voice break the quiet of the morning.

"You better keep your distance Zuko. Remember I'm watching you."

Oh yeah, her brother definitely needed a distraction or she was going to go completely nuts before they ever reached Ba Sing Se.

**A.N. **Seriously they are going to battle Azula. I just needed to address the issue of Aang and his feelings for Katara. I hope he didn't come across too old or too sappy, but he is pretty attached to Katara and having her ogling Zuko all day would be a little disheartening.

I am looking forward to the break at Thanksgiving to spend a little more alone time with my computer. Maybe then I will be able to confront Azula!

Anyways, I hope you like this chapter. Please let me know.


	20. Chapter 20

_I do not own Avatar or any of its characters._

**Caught Off Guard **

**They had been traveling for two days now and there still was no sign of Azula.** Every town they had stopped in had come up empty on information and to make matters worse they were about a day out from Ba Sing Se. Zuko had been so sure that they would have come across his sister by now. He felt that surprise was on their side, but maybe it wasn't. Maybe somehow, Azula had found out about them and was just waiting to attack; waiting for the perfect opportunity. He should never have agreed to come with them he thought for about the tenth time that day. He should have sought her out on his own. If something went wrong he would never forgive himself. As the evening light started to fade Aang landed Appa. The youth all got off the animal and started to stretch. They all were a little tired and a little irritated

Sokka had been grumbling most of the afternoon and once on solid ground he couldn't contain his feelings anymore. He turned to Zuko and said sarcastically, "Great plan Zuko! Sure follow the old route and we should come upon Azula with no problem. Looks like you screwed up. Your sister outsmarted you again – not that that seems like too hard a thing to do."

Zuko tensed at the warrior's remarks and shot back, "Hey I didn't hear you volunteer any ideas about what to do."

"Oh I had a plan. It involved leaving your sorry butt behind back where we found you two weeks ago. If everyone had followed my advice we would be in Ba Sing Se by now and your sister would have found you and you could have had a big happy family reunion – right before she killed you!"

"If I remember right you agreed to let me join up with the four of you to find my uncle. I would have left three days ago if you hadn't agreed to let me stay."

"Yeah, like I really had a choice. Now we're stuck with you and who knows if we'll ever find your crazy sister or your uncle."

Zuko had had it with Sokka. It was bad enough that he himself was second guessing his own plan but to have this oaf questioning it as well was just too much. He snapped back without thinking, "You know for someone who contributes so little to this group you sure do find fault with what everyone else does."

"Not everyone, just you" he shot back. "And I do contribute a lot. Just because I can't bend doesn't mean that I can't fight."

Zuko let out a snort and said, "If that's what you call it …"

"Hey you want a piece of me?" He put up his fists ready to fight. "Come on you and me, hand to hand. That is if you can handle a real fight, one that doesn't involve bending."

"Oh I could take you on my worst day." At that he raised his arms and took a fighting stance.

"Hey you two slow down. The last thing we need is to be fighting amongst ourselves." Katara interrupted.

"Stay out of this Katara." Her brother shouted. "This between him and me. Get ready to see your boyfriend get taken down a peg or two."

"Bring it on." Zuko replied. He had had enough of Sokka and all his irritating ways over the last three days. It was time to shut him up.

They paced around each other as they assessed the situation and finally Sokka lunged at him. He deflected the punch with his broken arm and then jabbed Sokka in the ribs hard with his right. The boy let out a groan but quickly recovered. Bringing up his elbow he connected with the underside of Zuko's chin. The force sent his head back and left his ears ringing. As his head came back down he glimpsed Sokka's fist coming at him. Instinctively he ducked and then coming back around swept the warriors feet out from under him. He hit the ground with a thud and Zuko seized the opportunity to straddle him and connect a few choice blows to his face. Sokka regained control and placing his hands on Zuko's chest gave him a hard shove. Zuko fell backwards, letting the momentum carry him into a flip and landed on his feet. Hands at the ready he faced Katara's brother again.

"Is that the best you can do?" he taunted the warrior.

"Oh I'm just getting started." And with that he came at the prince again. Blows connected as they struggled on until finally they separated again. Sokka prepared to attack again just as Zuko was drawing his fist back. He released the punch only to realize too late that Katara had stepped in between them. His fist connected with her jaw and she fell back to the ground.

"Katara!" he called out, but was instantly sent flying backwards by a blast of air. He hit the ground hard about twenty feet from where he had been standing. As he started to get up he could see Aang kneeling on the ground in front of Katara. Her brother was on her other side and they were inspecting her jaw. He approached them and was about to kneel down when the Avatar stood up.

"Katara I'm so sorry."

"You are." The boy said heatedly. "Of course I should have expected as much from a fire bender."

"What is that supposed to mean?" He asked angrily.

"Impulsive!" he yelled. "You're whole race is impulsive, emotional, and irrational. You never think through your actions. Strike first and ask questions later; always eager to fight."

"Better to be eager to fight than to sit passively by and let your whole society get wiped out in one swift blow." He said without thinking and then realized too late that he had just proven the boy right.

Aang's face became very hard and he looked at Zuko with hatred in his eyes. "Don't ever speak of my people that way. Your nation destroyed them. They never did anything to merit what happened."

"I didn't mean that…"

"Of course you didn't mean it; speaking without thinking, just like you fight. I'm beginning to think that Sokka is right. Maybe we should have left you behind."

Zuko's anger overwhelmed him. He lashed out at the boy. "This has nothing to do with my temper. This is all about Katara. You're just jealous. You can't handle that she likes me and not you. You're only second guessing your decision because you don't want me around her."

Aang grew very still and stared at Zuko. Suddenly he raised his hands to strike, but the impact never came. A wall of rock shot up between them stopping it dead in its tracks.

"Enough!" Toph yelled at them. "You boys are ridiculous. Save your energy for Azula not each other."

Zuko stared at her. He released a pent up breath and thought about what she had said. How had it come to this he thought? Why were they at each other's throats? He looked down at Katara. She sat there rubbing her jaw. Tears were streaming down her face but he wasn't sure if it was due to the pain or because of the conflict between the three of them. He felt like a heel and was sorry that he had ever let his anger get the best of him.

Aang picked up his staff and started walking towards the nearby woods. "I need to be alone." He said to no one in particular.

"You really shouldn't go anywhere alone." Zuko said.

"I think I can handle anyone that comes my way. After all I am the Avatar." He said angrily and then continued walking.

Zuko turned back towards the others. "Really none of us should be traveling alone."

"He's right." Katara agreed and then looking to her brother she said, "Sokka, you should go follow Aang and make sure he's alright."

"No way Katara, I'm not leaving the two of you here with just Toph as a chaperone."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Toph asked with anger in her voice.

"Oh come on Toph, it's pretty obvious that you don't care what happens with these two. Someone needs to keep a close eye on them and that someone is me."

"You know Mr. Paranoid I don't know what trouble you think that they're going to get into but it probably is best that I follow Aang. After all if he does run into trouble he'll need someone there who can help him."

She turned and walked off leaving Sokka to huff at her back. Zuko approached Katara and bent down to get a closer look at her jaw. It was already bruised and swollen. As he reached out to touch it she winced and pulled away.

"Katara I am so sorry. I never meant to hit you. I was aiming for your brother." He said rather lamely.

"I'll be ok. Nothing feels broken." She replied and then taking some water in her hands she set about healing the injury. When she was finished she felt her jaw and then moved her mouth about to test it.

He leaned in for a closer look and then said, "You would never know that you had been hit." She looked at him with a weird expression that he only too late realized was anger. Before he knew what was happening she drew back her own fist and slammed it hard into his jaw. The force of the blow sent him falling to the ground. He grabbed his jaw and asked, "Why'd you do that?"

'That was for Aang." She said heatedly. He looked at her questioningly and she continued, "How could you say those things to him. He has already suffered enough. He has lost everyone he ever cared about and you go and rub it in. Do you know that he blames himself for the demise of his race? He feels bad enough without you reminding him." She moved over to where he sat and pointing her finger at him she continued her rant, poking him to emphasize each word. "And how could you bring up the fact that he likes me. I told you that in confidence and you betrayed my trust. Now Aang is going to know that I told you. I'll be lucky if he ever talks to me again." She rose to her feet and began to pace.

In his defense he said, "Katara I'm sorry. I was just angry and I didn't think before I spoke…"

"No you didn't think Zuko. You just said the first thing that came to mind. You know you have to practice a little restraint. You're not alone anymore. You have to think about other people's feelings. If we all spoke our mind every time someone upset us we would never have survived this far. Now that you're traveling with us you are going to have to learn when the time to speak your mind is and when it is best to just keep your mouth shut."

He couldn't believe what she had said. How dare she talk to him like that? He was a prince, royalty; no one ever corrected him let alone speak to him in that way. Whether she was right or wrong didn't matter. He was beyond listening anymore. This whole mess wasn't even his fault. Her brother had started it but that didn't seem to matter.

Slowly he rose to his feet. Using all his self control he said coldly, "I don't have to sit here and take this from you. I didn't even start the fight, your brother did. Maybe _he_ should learn to practice some self restraint. Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to start unpacking our things to set up camp. Feel free to continue your rant but I'm done listening!"

With that he stormed off towards Appa. He was done trying to be nice. Let her be mad, he didn't care. He had tried his best to fit in with this group of friends but it was painfully obvious that that wasn't going to happen.

**Katara watched Zuko's retreating back**. The anger she had felt a moment before seemed to evaporate into thin air. The day had been so tense. Not having come across Azula had taken its toll on everyone. Sokka lashing out at Zuko was inevitable, just as was Zuko exploding in return. What she wasn't prepared for was his harsh words directed towards Aang. She had been so angry at him for hurting Aang like that that she had lashed out at him without thinking. Now he was off brooding about what she said and she was left to feel regret about the whole incident.

She knew that she needed to talk to Aang and clear the air about Zuko's comments but he had yet to return. With nothing better to do she set about the chore of preparing a meal for the little group. As she finished her task Aang finally walked back to camp with Toph. From the look on his face she could tell that he was still upset. The two young benders came and sat around the fire joining the teens in an awkward silence.

Finally unable to deal with the stress any more she turned to Aang and said, "Hey Aang can we talk." Suddenly four heads turned her way so she clarified, "In private!"

"I don't know Katara; maybe we should ask Zuko for permission. He may not want his _girlfriend_ hanging out with another guy." The boy replied tersely.

She looked at him in exasperation and stated, "Enough Aang! Could we please leave Zuko out of this and talk?"

"I don't think there is any leaving him out of this. He's the problem!"

She noticed a strained look come across Zuko's face and she knew that he was trying so hard to hold back from saying anything else to set Aang off. "Aang cut it out. We need to talk and I don't feel like playing games right now."

"Fine!" He said as he stood, "Let's go talk, if that'll make you feel better."

She rose and followed him. They walked far enough away from the others as to not be heard but they could still see the camp site. She turned to Aang and said softly, "Aang I am so sorry about what happened earlier."

"Well you should be!" He replied hotly. "How could you tell Zuko that I liked you? That was a private conversation between you and me and then you go and tell the last person that I would want to hear it, all about it. I can't believe you did that Katara. You betrayed my trust and you made me look like a fool." His words stung and she felt so small as he continued on, "I mean Zuko, Zuko! How could you tell Zuko?"

She was stunned by the hostility in his voice. Still she needed to try to explain what had happened. "Aang I didn't set out to tell him. We were just talking a few days ago about having to watch out for Sokka because he gets so upset whenever Zuko and I are together and I said that we had to be careful around you as well. I was trying to spare your feelings. I didn't mean to hurt you and Zuko was very respectful about it at the time…"

"Well he sure wasn't worrying about my feelings today!"

"He was just upset at Sokka. And then after he punched me by mistake and you started in on him he responded without thinking. Believe me I already laid into him about it. It was wrong but I don't think he understood just how much his words would hurt you."

"You know Katara I'm a big boy. I can handle my own fights. The last thing I need is you interfering and trying to make things better. You would do good to stop meddling in my affairs. I can handle Zuko without your help so back off!"

He was yelling pretty loudly by the time he finished the last statement. Sokka, Toph, and Zuko all looked her way and she shrank from embarrassment. "Fine," she replied in a whisper. "If that's the way you want it then I will leave you alone to deal with anything that comes your way. You don't have to worry about me _meddling_ anymore."

With that said she walked back to camp. Without a word she got out her sleeping bag and climbed inside. She was done with all of them today. She wanted privacy so she took it the only way she could. Pulling her blanket above her head she lay there silently with tears of frustration streaming down her face. How could everything have turned out so wrong? They were supposed to be working as a team but now she wondered if they would really be able to work together if Azula attacked.

**Zuko lay on his sleeping mat tossing and turning. **This day had been a disaster. First the fight with Sokka and Aang and then his argument with Katara; everything had progressively gone from bad to worse. After her discussion with Aang, Katara had gone straight to her sleeping bag and had not come back out. The air bender had done pretty much the same by going over to Appa and finding a place to sleep away from the others. That had left himself, Sokka, and Toph to eat the dinner that Katara had prepared. None of them was hungry at that point and eventually he had thrown the food into the woods. Maybe some animals would enjoy it. The sun had barely set when the three of them decided to go to sleep. The day had been a complete waste. Maybe tomorrow would be different.

At first sleep had been difficult to find. He lay still willing himself to fall asleep. He knew that he would need his rest if by some chance they were to come across his sister, but he just couldn't sleep. He was upset at himself for losing control earlier. He had never intended to say the things he did. The words just seemed to come out. Of course when Katara had pointed out his need to mind other people's feelings, he had been pretty angry. Now after thinking about it he knew that she was right. He would need to learn to be considerate of the others in the group. It was essential to getting along with them and he was starting to realize that getting along with them could be a long term situation. He just wasn't used to having to bend to anyone. As a prince his word was the final say in anything that happened. He was free to speak his mind and not worry about how his words affected those around him. Now he would have to be a little more careful.

The thoughts swam around in his mind until at last he fell into a fitful sleep. He awoke sometime later and looked over to see Katara still asleep in her sleeping bag. He wondered what the day would bring when she awoke. For the last two mornings they had risen before the dawn and watched the sun rise in the sky. He had enjoyed the quiet time alone with her and hated to think that he had destroyed that intimacy with his harsh words earlier. He continued to gaze at her until once again he fell asleep.

When he awoke again he noticed that the sky had taken on that deep purple tone that signaled morning was approaching. He glanced again at Katara but she wasn't on her mat. Leaning on his right arm he propped himself up to look around the camp for her.

"Looking for someone?" he heard her say in a teasing tone. He looked at the base of his mat and saw her sitting there, knees drawn up to her chin. "I couldn't sleep and realized that it was almost dawn."

He smiled at her comment. She was going to forgive him, everything would turn out ok. "Katara I am so sorry about yesterday. You were right; I do need to watch what I say. I'm just not used to traveling with anyone but my uncle. I've never had a need to pay attention to what I said to others and quite frankly I really didn't care."

"It's ok Zuko. I think I may need to follow my own advice though. I wasn't too thoughtful when I went off on that tirade with you. I let my anger get the best of me too."

He didn't know what else to say so he sat up and held out his arms to her. She entered into his embrace and he held her tight for a few minutes. Finally she turned and found the familiar position of sitting with her back to his chest. Absently he stroked her arms and they talked quietly about what had happened the previous day and what needed to change before they found Azula.

As he held her he felt the tension from the evening ease out of his body. Holding her always seemed to make him feel better. He could have sat like that forever but it wasn't to be. He heard the loud crack of a fire blast before he saw it. His mind though registered what was about to happen and without thought he grabbed Katara and pulled her to the ground just as a blue fireball passed over their heads.

"Well isn't this sweet, Zuzu. It seems that you are capable of attracting a member of the opposite sex. Too bad I'm going to have to end the relationship for you. But since I'm feeling charitable I'll let you get in a final kiss before I have to kill her!"

So, Azula had been close by and now his worst fears were about to be realized. Still he wouldn't let her harm Katara. He sat up and starting at her with hatred in his eyes he said coldly, "You'll have to kill me first."

His sister let out an evil laugh and replied, "It would be my pleasure."

**A.N. **Finally Azula!

This chapter sort of just happened, but I liked how it fit into the story. In my original version they met up with Azula a lot earlier. The result will still be the same as I wrote it months ago when I was only writing for my own pleasure, but the characters are a lot more developed than they were then.

I hope you enjoy and I will try to post soon.


	21. Chapter 21

_I do not own avatar or any of its characters._

**The Battle at Last**

_As he held her he felt the tension from the evening ease out of his body. Holding her always seemed to make him feel better. He could have sat like that forever but it wasn't to be. He heard the loud crack of a fire blast before he saw it. His mind though registered what was about to happen and without thought he grabbed Katara and pulled her to the ground just as a blue fireball passed over their heads._

"_Well isn't this sweet, Zuzu. It seems that you are capable of attracting a member of the opposite sex. Too bad I'm going to have to end the relationship for you. But since I'm feeling charitable I'll let you get in a final kiss before I have to kill her!"_

_So, Azula had been close by and now his worst fears were about to be realized. Still he wouldn't let her harm Katara. He sat up and staring at her with hatred in his eyes he said coldly, "You'll have to kill me first."_

_His sister let out an evil laugh and replied, "It would be my pleasure."_

**Zuko was on his feet as soon as the words left her mouth**. In an instant she released another blast of flame towards him and Katara. Raising his arms he deflected it with ease.

She grinned wickedly at him and said, "Do you really think that you can take me brother? You've never been able to before and now you've got a useless arm as well." She glanced at his broken arm and continued. "This should be over before it has even begun. Once you're out of the way I will kill your girlfriend and take the Avatar."

"It's not going to happen like that. I won't let you." He yelled and then lunged forward, blasting her with rapid shots from his closed right fist.

She dodged the blasts and countered. The force of her strike hit him hard and even though he deflected it again he was sent to the ground. She smirked and said, "Really Zuzu this is going to be over before I even break a sweat."

She went to strike again when suddenly a blast of air sent her flying backwards. Zuko looked to his side and saw that Aang had joined him. The boy held out his hand and Zuko took it. Getting to his feet he said, "Not the way I wanted to start my day."

"You can say that again!" the boy answered and then more determinedly said, "but at least now we can finish this."

In the distance Azula rose to her feet and took a fighting stance again. Anger was clear on her face. She never did like being caught off guard. "So you and the Avatar have become buddies. Your more pathetic than I gave you credit for. Taking up with the enemy and then befriending the Avatar; next thing you'll be telling me that you have switched loyalties completely and are going to fight father for the throne."

Zuko didn't respond and she started to laugh. "You are really too much Zuzu! How did a man as great as our father raise such a worthless son as you?"

Her words struck harder than her physical blows and he winced involuntarily at her remarks. "I am not worthless!" he yelled and then ran forward to attack again.

Blasting her repeatedly he finally managed to knock her down again. She quickly recovered and shot blue flames in his direction. He countered and together with Aang drove her back. They had her down again when he felt something fly by his face. He heard Aang yell out in pain as the weapons found his flesh. Behind Azula stood Mai; she smiled and said, "I just thought it might be time to even out the attack." She ran forward and released another round of stilettos.

Zuko knocked them away and shot a flame towards his sister's childhood friend. She rolled to avoid it and came up within feet of him. Suddenly a blade materialized and she lunged for him. He grabbed her wrist and twisting it knocked the knife from her hand. "You should have stayed home in the Fire Nation." He said with anger in his voice.

"The Fire Nation is way too dull; besides this is far more entertaining." She responded.

He looked at her with disgust and then released her hard to the ground. She landed with a thud. Her expression was unreadable. Azula called out, "Mai, don't waste your time with my brother. If you really want some fun go and find the water bender. She and Zuko seem to have a thing for each other."

Mai's expression changed to one of hatred and she rose quickly to her feet. Zuko turned to grab her when Azula sent another blast his way. He fell back from the blow but recovered quickly. Once again he stood and went for Mai. He would not let her hurt Katara. Behind him he heard Azula laugh, "You are so predictable Zuko, always thinking with your heart. You won't be able to protect your girlfriend and fight me though. Pick your battle carefully."

Beside him he heard Aang say, "Katara can handle that girl. She's done it before. Let's get your sister."

Zuko was torn but he knew that Aang was right. Turning towards Azula he let out a yell and continued the attack.

**Katara watched as Zuko and Aang ran off towards Azula**. The attack had taken them by complete surprise. Everything had happened so quickly. She had been so focused on Zuko and his sister that she had not even noticed that her brother, Toph, and Aang had woken up and joined the fight. She knew that she would be no match for Azula's powerful flames. They hadn't been able to camp next to a water source and she was pretty defenseless where the princess was concerned. She focused her attentions on finding Zuko's Uncle. With Azula here he had to be close by.

Never taking her eyes from Zuko and Aang she spoke to Toph and Sokka, "We need to find Zuko's uncle. He must be with one of the other girls."

Sokka scanned the wood line and said, "Over there! I see the acrobat. She's got Iroh on her giant lizard."

Katara turned and spotting Ty Lee she said, "Let's get her!"

The three of them took off in Ty Lee's direction. As they reached her she dismounted from the animal and spun through the air landing a well placed kicked into Sokka's stomach. He doubled over and fell to the ground. Katara was ready for the girl and her signature move. She quickly and skillfully evaded the constant barrage of jabs as the girl tried without much success to take away her ability to bend.

"Careful of her hands." She warned Toph. Her friend kept her distance and created a rock enclosure around Ty Lee. Before Toph could finish the acrobat managed to jump out of it with ease. As she prepared to land she positioned her fingers to strike at the blind earth bender. Katara called out another warning but it was too late. Toph never 'saw' the strike. Her right arm fell to her side and she cursed at Azula's friend. Ty Lee made to strike again when Sokka came barging in, shoving the girl hard to the ground.

"You may have gotten me once but I am ready for you now!" he exclaimed.

Ty Lee managed to get to her feet and faced Sokka ready to battle. "What kind of guy are you that would push a girl to the ground?" She teased.

"The kind of guy that values his life and that of his friends." He responded. With that he lunged at her with his club in hand.

Katara never saw his strike connect. She was pulled back from the action as a knife was placed against her throat. "So you're the girl that Prince Zuko is enamored with." Came Mai's voice from behind her. "I can't understand why he would want to involve himself with a filthy peasant like you. You're not even pretty."

Katara could feel an anger build deep inside of her. She was so tired of these three; tired of being chased, tired of being attacked. She bit her lip to keep from saying anything and then bent her head forward. She could feel the sting of the blade as it cut into her skin and then quickly she forced her head back with great power and caught Mai square on the forehead. The girl released her hold as she fell back to the ground.

"Don't you ever question Zuko's feelings for me!" She spat at the girl. "He cares about me. But then you wouldn't understand what it means to care for another human being would you? You were willing to sacrifice your own brother for some sick thrill. You're the filthy one."

Mai growled and leapt to her feet. Using her bare hands she reached for Katara's throat. As she grabbed hold Katara brought her hands up between the other girl's arms and broke her grasp. Drawing her fingers tight to her palm she drove the heel of her hand up into Mai's nose breaking it and causing the girl to scream in pain.

Holding her hands to her bleeding nose she cursed Katara. "You broke my nose, you water bending witch. You'll pay dearly for that." With lightning quick speed she held up her dagger ready to drive it into Katara's chest. Katara responded just as quickly and using her water whip she grabbed a hold of the girl's wrist and pulled hard. The force dislodged the knife and sent Mai falling to the ground. Her head hit harder than Katara expected and the girl lay motionless.

Katara stared at Mai for a moment and when she was certain that she was not getting back up any time soon she glanced around to check on the others. Sokka, Toph, and Ty Lee were no where to be seen. Katara spotted Iroh still sitting atop the lizard. Quickly she made her way towards him. She jumped up behind him and said, "I need to cut through these bindings."

"I've been heating them slowly over the course of my captivity. If you were to freeze them they may be weak enough now to simply shatter." Zuko's uncle informed her.

She followed his advice and the bindings did in fact break apart. Slowly he brought his hands forward and moved his wrists. It was then that Katara noticed the burn marks left from his previous attempts to break the chains.

"I can heal that." She remarked.

"Later." He replied. "First we must help my nephew and the Avatar. It seems as if Azula may be gaining the upper hand."

Katara followed his gaze and saw Zuko and Aang. She could see that her friend was tiring and she noticed that his right arm was covered in blood. Zuko also seemed to be loosing ground and she realized that he may not be as well as she had believed earlier. Without waiting for Iroh she ran to help them. When she drew closer she could hear Azula's taunts as she fought Zuko.

"Tiring so soon Zuzu? I had hoped that you could have lasted a little bit longer but then you were always weak. That's what father hated so much about you. You weren't man enough to stand up to him three years ago and you're not strong enough to fight me now."

Zuko let out a low growl and ran towards his sister. He shot successive rounds of fire blasts in her direction but she easily dodged them. She raised her hands and returned his fire with her own blue flames. He ducked and then rolled out of the way. It was at that point that she looked up and saw Katara standing there.

"Oh look Zuko, your girl friend has returned to help you." Speaking louder she directed her hatred towards Katara, "Stupid water bender, how are you going to be of any help. The water you carry won't be enough to battle me." With that she grinned and raised her hands towards Katara and shot off a fireball in her direction. Before she could defend herself a wall of rock shot out the ground and took the brunt of the attack. She turned to see Aang. He smiled weakly at her and then let the rocks fall to the ground. He followed close behind. The loss of blood had finally taken its toll and he lay immobile by her side breathing heavily. She went to Aang and surveyed his injury. Though he was bleeding she knew that he would be able to wait for healing until after the battle.

"You're going to be ok Aang. As soon as we finish with Azula I'll take care of your arm."

"I know you will Katara." He replied weakly and then tried to sit up. She helped him to a sitting position and then smiled at him. He returned it and she knew that the anger from last night was gone. He would forgive her.

They both looked up as Azula lashed out verbally again. "Foolish girl, it would seem to me that you've made the wrong choice in partners. Why take my brother when you could have the most powerful bender in the world? I would think Zuko would pale in comparison."

Katara refused to let Azula's taunts rile her. She calmed her mind and leveled out her breathing. A cool head was the only way to take this witch down she figured. She resumed a fighting stance and waited for the princesses' next move. It was at that point that Azula started to move her hands in a circular motion. It seemed as if lightning were forming in her hands, but that was impossible. She had never heard of such a thing and the realization of what was about to happen caused her to freeze in her spot.

**Zuko watched in horror as his sister started the all too familiar pattern that signaled a lightning strike.** Katara stood motionless as she gazed at his sister. Time was running out and he had to move fast. Azula separated her hands and began to direct the lightening in Katara's direction. Without a thought he grabbed his sister's hands just as the lightening was being released. He thought quickly to uncle's lesson a short time ago: Through the arm, down to the stomach, and out the other arm, avoid the heart. The flow came very naturally to him from all the practice he had had. He could visualize it going to his stomach and then making his way to his left arm. His broken arm, he remembered as soon as he pointed his fingers towards the clearing. As the bolt passed out of his body he let out a scream. An intense pain shot through his arm and it felt as if every bone in his hand has been crushed. He could feel a tingling sensation throughout his entire body, but he was alive. He had done it! He had redirected lightening! He looked at his sister and could tell by her expression that she was both surprised and angry.

"So it looks like Uncle taught you his little trick." She said with malice in her voice. "Of course when he did it it didn't look quite as painful but then why would I expect for you to do it right." With that she retrieved her hand and backed up a few feet. You know this is actually beginning to annoy me. It's time for your girlfriend to die and for me to take the Avatar home to father. Maybe I'll let you live so that you can remember just what a failure you are for the rest of your life."

She then drew back her hand and pointed her fingers. With a grin on her face she brought her hand forward and shot an intense blue flame at Katara. Zuko yelled for Katara to move as he did the only thing he could do to protect her; he threw his body in front of the flame. He was still pretty close to Azula and the intensity of the strike sent him flying backwards. He landed hard on the ground and for a moment he couldn't breathe. Pain enveloped his chest. He could smell the burnt flesh and without seeing the wound he could tell that it was bad. At that moment he knew that he was going to die. He heard Katara scream and he wanted to go to her but he couldn't move. This was how it would end he thought sorrowfully. There would be no honor, no throne, and no love for him. It was truly over. With that thought on his mind he closed his eyes and waited to die.

**Katara ran towards Zuko**. She was oblivious to everything around her. She had to save him. He had to be alive. Please let him be alive. She reached Zuko and knelt down beside him. Quickly she surveyed the damage. His chest was a horrible mess with burns that went deep. His breathing was extremely labored and she could tell that he was in extreme pain.

"It's ok Zuko, I'm here. Everything is going to be alright."

"Katara," he moaned softly and then smiled, "You're alive!" Tears started to stream down his face. "I'm so sorry. I've failed to keep you safe from Azula." He whispered.

"You don't need to apologize Zuko. It's ok I'm safe. Just lay still and I'm going to work on your burn." She again opened her water skin and was about to release the water when a blast of fire shot by her. She felt something wet on her back and she realized that Azula had hit her water skin possibly damaging it.

"Nice try, but I'm not about to let you heal him." She said in a harsh voice. Pointing her fingers at Katara she prepared to strike. At that moment a powerful blast of fire shot towards Azula sending her flying backwards. Katara turned to see Zuko's uncle standing behind her. His face was contorted in a mix of pain and fury.

"Enough is enough Azula. I will not let you prevent this girl from saving Zuko's life, even if it means taking yours."

Azula let out a laugh and replied, "Really Uncle, you may be a master, but you are no match for me. Zuko is as good as dead and you will be next." She let out a blast of blue flame. Katara ducked and hugged close to Zuko's chest. She heard Iroh grunt as he jumped out of the way of the flame. Azula spoke again, "You can't dodge my attacks forever. You are old and I know that your leg will not support you for long. It seems as if this battle will be a short one."

Suddenly Katara could feel the ground vibrate beneath her. As she looked up she saw a wall of rock shoot forth from the ground and knocked Azula over. "He may be old, but I'm younger than you and believe me I could fight forever." came Toph's angry voice. With that the ground shifted again, shooting up from beneath Azula and sending her through the air. She landed hard on her back, the air knocked from her lungs. Toph let out a laugh of her own and said, "You are going down today princess."

As Toph and Iroh moved to fight Azula, Katara took off her water skin and surveyed the damage. Azula had burned a hole through it when she blasted it earlier. The water was gone. No! Katara thought. She had no other source of water. If she didn't find some quick Zuko would die. Sokka appeared at her side and she yelled to him, "I need some water. Please I need you to run and get some from camp. He will die without it."

"Katara I don't think he'll make it until I return." He replied softly.

"He'll have to make it. Now go!" she screamed at him. Sokka took of running and she returned to Zuko's side. "Please hold on Zuko. Sokka's getting more water. Please just hold on until I can heal you."

He opened his eyes and looked at her. A slight smile came to his lips. Weakly he brought his hand to her face and cupped her cheek. "I'm so sorry about yesterday… about all the times I've hurt you before… I wish things could be different…"

"Zuko yesterday is as good as forgotten. We've moved beyond our past. It's the man you are now that I care about so deeply."

He took in a pained breath and then said, "You are so special… take care of yourself… and Aang…he will save us…" he stopped and gasped for another breath dropping his hand back to his side.

Come on Sokka, she cried in her head, hurry. "Zuko," she said, "Save your energy. Sokka will be here soon and then everything will be alright."

"No Katara, I need to tell you… I can't deny how I feel…" Suddenly he started to cough. The force of the cough brought blood with it and she realized that his injuries were far worse than she had first thought. He was bleeding internally. Even with the water Zuko would die. She felt a pain in her chest as she realized that he was going to die and there was nothing that she could do to stop it from happening.

"Zuko please lie still. You must save your strength." She leaned down and kissed him on his forehead. "Sokka will be here soon." She could feel her tears falling freely. If only they were enough to supply her with the water she needed. He coughed again and she could tell that he was in extreme pain. Running her fingers through his hair she repeated, "Sokka will be here soon. He will come. He has to come."

She continued running her fingers through his hair and whispering softly to him. She was oblivious to all that was going on around her. All her thoughts, all he energy was focused on Zuko. Suddenly Zuko began to choke.

"I …can't… breathe…," he said as he grabbed at his throat. His eyes opened wide and he had a frantic look about him. "Katara… Katara… I… can't…" another wave of coughs racked his body and he fell back when he finished. His eyes bore into hers and he smiled weakly. "You… are… so… beautiful…"

His eyes closed and his head fell limply to the side. She grabbed his shoulders and shook him violently. "Zuko, wake up. You have to wake up. You can't leave me. Please don't die on me... I love you…"

She reached down pulled him into her arms. Cradling his head and shoulders she rocked gently. Tears streamed down her face and she quietly repeated over and over again, "Don't leave me. Don't die on me."

She wasn't aware of time any more so when Sokka returned she couldn't tell if it had been seconds or hours. He squatted down next to her with the water in his hands. Looking at Zuko he said softly, "Katara I am so sorry."

She looked up at him and spoke, "The injuries were too much. Even with the water I wouldn't have been able to heal him. When he needed me most I let him down."

"Katara there was nothing you could do. You can't blame yourself." Her brother replied.

"You have given him more than you can imagine." Zuko's uncle said. Where he had come from, she thought. He looked at Zuko and then knelt down beside her. Reaching out he touched his nephew's cheek. Tears were falling freely from his eyes as well.

They were silent for a moment when finally Toph spoke up. "You know he's not dead yet."

"Not funny Toph." Katara said.

"No really I can feel the vibrations from his breathing and his heart beat and I wasn't sure before but I can tell you now with certainty that he is still alive. Barely alive, but still alive."

"Toph, Katara already said that she couldn't heal his injuries. They're too severe. It's not like she's performing magic or something. It's just bending ordinary water."

Ordinary water, Katara thought. If only she had some kind of magical water that could heal him. If only she were back at the North Pole. The Spirit Oasis had given Yue her life when she was a baby. Maybe it could have saved Zuko.

"Yue," she muttered more to herself. Then looking to the others she said more loudly, "The Oasis…Master Pakku … he gave me water from the Oasis…maybe…" she frantically searched for the amulet with the water. She found it and pulled it out. "This may work. This has to work."

Katara opened the amulet and moved the water around her hands. She then placed them on Zuko's chest. Her hands began to glow with the water and then it moved from her hands to his chest enveloping it in its glow. She watched as the burn began to heal. Suddenly Zuko took a deep breath. As he breathed the water moved from his chest and went into his mouth. He seemed to choke and Katara gasped. What was going on? It was as if the water had a mind of its own. Zuko arched his back and opened his eyes. Katara could have sworn that at that moment they were as blue as her own. He then shut them and groaned in pain. His whole body tensed and his eyes shut tight. She had never witnessed anything quite like this before and she became worried as to what the water was doing. Suddenly his body went limp and he exhaled a long drawn out breath. She bent down and put her head on his chest. She could feel a slight rise as he took in another breath. He was alive! The water had brought him back to life. She sat back and stared at him.

"Zuko?" she called. "Zuko can you hear me?"

Slowly he began to stir and then opened his eyes. They were the golden brown that she had grown accustomed to over the past two weeks. He looked at her in confusion. "What happened?" he asked.

"We thought you were dead!" Sokka blurted out. "Toph felt your heart beat ... and Katara brought you back to life... I can't believe it."

He looked at her questioningly and she smiled. "It was the water from the Spirit Oasis at the North pole. I had some in an amulet. It saved you. You were…" Suddenly it was all too much for her and she started to cry hysterically.

"Katara." He whispered. "Katara…" Suddenly she felt his arms reach for her and she instinctively went into their embrace. He held her tightly as she cried. "It's ok," he spoke softly. "You saved me Katara. You saved me."

She lay still in his arms. He was alive. He was going to be alright.

**Zuko lay there with Katara in his arms**. He could feel her tears on his chest. The more she cried the harder she held him. He for the most part was holding on just as tightly. Once again she had saved him from death. He couldn't remember much after Azula's blast of blue flame into his chest, just that Katara had been there. She was alive. Just knowing that she was safe was enough to help him let go of his painful grasp on life. He remembered slipping away. His body had felt numb. The pain was gone. He floated freely as if in a pool of cool water and then he saw Princess Yue. She was there with him and she had a sad smile on her face. He wanted to go to her but he couldn't move.

"Prince Zuko you must return. You still have much living left. You are finally moving on the path you were destined to take. There are many who will help you now. Trust in them and trust in yourself. And Zuko trust again in love. Open your heart again and you will experience joy like you have never felt before. From this moment on you need to live. Truly live with your whole heart and soul. Let go of the past and embrace the future." She smiled again at him and said, "It is time to return. Her love for you is stronger than even death. Go to her."

And with that he felt all the searing pain return. He took a deep breath and suddenly he started to choke. He felt as if he were drowning. Water filled his lungs and he arched his back in pain. He fought the pain when suddenly Yue's voice softly spoke to him saying to relax. She sounded so peaceful, so calm, and he couldn't help but obey. He stopped his struggles and instantly he could feel the pressure in his lungs ease. A cool sensation stared to move through his entire body and down through his limbs. As it entered his left arm he could feel the bones mending and the burning from the lightening strike began to dissipate. The pain left him. It was then that he heard Katara's voice calling to him. He had opened his eyes and there she was. The sight of her took his breath away. Her hair was a tangled mess and her eyes were red and puffy from crying, but to him she looked beautiful. It was at that moment that he realized that he loved her.

Now she lay in his embrace and he didn't ever want to let her go. Slowly her crying eased and he could feel the tension leave her body. Her arms lessened their grip and she pushed up to looked at him.

"Don't ever do that to me again!" she said.

"I'll try not to die again anytime soon." He said with a teasing tone to his voice. She smiled and then sat back again on her heels.

"Alright as long as we've got that straight you can stay." She smiled even brighter at him and he felt a surge of joy. He could stay. Of course he would stay. He didn't ever plan to leave her again.

**A.N. **Wow!Finally the Azula chapter. I have written this one three times now (twice back in July before I ever posted). The characters and the story changed so much that it needed a complete overhaul. Even as I wrote it the chapter changed. I was going to have Katara fight side by side with Zuko but as I wrote I ended up going with Aang and I liked that better.

I think ever since Master Pakku gave Katara the amulet we have all been wondering when she was going to use it. Of course the season finale seems to be pushing at healing the scar. I don't know - things are never as they appear to be in the previews. Anyway I hope you liked the way it worked in this chapter.

Thank you all for the reviews and contructive criticism. I really feel that it has helped to shape this story for the better. Hope you enjoy!


	22. Chapter 22

_I do not own Avatar or any of its chracters._

**New Beginnings**

**Iroh stared at his nephew and the water tribe girl**. Zuko had appeared dead when he and the blind girl had come across him and Katara. Iroh had been devastated. He had thought losing Lu Ten was the worst thing to ever happen to him but seeing Zuko laying there, his chest burned beyond healing, his life slowly ebbing away, was just as unbearable. He couldn't lose Zuko. He loved the boy as if he were his own. And then the girl had used the water she had from the Spirit Oasis and he began to heal, inside and out. Iroh had seen many things in his life but never something as wondrous as that. But even more miraculous was what happened after Zuko regained consciousness.

His nephew had been such an angry young man and Iroh had wondered if he would ever experience the simple pleasures of life. He wanted Zuko to know love; not just the love of an old man for his nephew but the love of a girl that could appreciate him for the good man he was inside. Now it seemed as if that had happened. In the barely two weeks since they had been separated Zuko had seemed to capture the heart of the Avatar's water bending friend. And more incredible was that she had seemed to capture his heart as well. This made him smile. Zuko deserved to be loved. He had suffered so much in his young life; losing his mother, the rejection of his father, and then banishment as well. All of these things combined had hardened his heart and no amount of love and care seemed capable of penetrating its thick wall. But somehow Katara had done it. She had broken through his defenses and gained his trust. Iroh would never have believed it if he hadn't witnessed it with his own eyes.

He continued to gaze at Zuko, the tears still streaming down his face, when his nephew looked up and saw him. Iroh smiled and Zuko returned it with one of his own.

"Well, I haven't seen that in a long time Prince Zuko." He said jovially. Zuko tilted his head in a questioning manner so he elaborated. "A smile, my nephew; I can't remember the last time I saw you smile."

Zuko was quiet for a moment then he said with emotion in his voice, "I have missed you so much uncle."

"I have missed you too, Zuko." And with that he reached out and hugged the boy tight to his chest. To his great pleasure his nephew returned the hug with equal vigor.

"I am so sorry that I couldn't come for you sooner." Zuko whispered.

Iroh pulled back and looked the prince in the eyes. "You did what you had to do. You came when you could. Though it seems to me nephew, that your time away was well spent; you seemed to have conquered some of your inner demons. You have changed," and then in a softer voice he said, "Maybe made some important decisions."

"Things have changed." Zuko replied, "But we can discuss that all later. Right now we should probably get out of here before Azula gets back."

"Oh she won't be coming for us anytime soon." Toph broke in. "Still I'm with the prince. We should be going."

"But what happened to her?" Sokka questioned the earth bender.

"Oh we handled her, or should I say he handled her, but we can give you all the details once we're out of here."

Sokka nodded and then said, "Ok then let's pack up quickly and get moving. Katara why don't you see about Aang, and Toph and I will get the supplies loaded."

The youth went about their tasks and soon the bison was loaded. Katara was helping the Avatar with his injuries and she was just finishing healing his arm when the other two completed their tasks. It amazed Iroh how well they all worked together and it pleased him that his nephew had seemed to find a way to fit into this group during his absence. He smiled again as he prepared to get onto the bison. He had never ridden such an animal before and he was looking forward to the experience.

**Zuko sat on the ground, still weak from his experience**. Around him the others were breaking down camp and quickly loading Appa. He would be glad to put some distance between them and Azula, the sooner the better. He grinned as he looked to his uncle. The old man was walking towards the bison with a look of wonder on his face. He knew that this would be an experience that his uncle would surely enjoy. He himself had yet to get a stomach for flight, but it was getting more tolerable with time.

Figuring that he should get moving as well he started to get up only to find that he was still too weak to manage on his own. He stumbled a little as he stood and was about to fall when he felt an arm around him to give him support. He turned and was surprised to see Sokka.

"Let me help you." The warrior said.

Zuko looked at him and then simply said, "Thank you."

"Well just don't go thinking that because I'm helping you after you almost died that I like you or something. I'm just grateful for what you did for my sister." His voice cracked at the mention of Katara and Zuko realized how hard it must have been for him to see his sister in such danger earlier.

Zuko smiled and replied, "No, we wouldn't want that." And with that they walked over to Appa and climbed on board.

Soon they were in the air leaving the scene of their battle with Azula behind. It was at that point that Sokka spoke up.

"Ok, so now that were safe, I really want to know just what happened with Azula. How'd you defeat that crazy witch?"

Toph let out a snort and said, "Well like I said earlier, I really didn't get a chance to do too much. It was the Dragon of the West over here that really kicked her butt. I mean he was just fire blast after fire blast. And then in the end he did some funky thing with… was that lightning you shot at her?" She turned to Iroh with the question.

His uncle laughed and replied, "Yes it was. My niece may be able to attack with lightening but she doesn't know the secret to redirecting it when it is aimed at her."

"Redirect?" Katara asked. "Is that what you did Zuko, redirect lightening?" He nodded his head at her and she continued on. "So how do you know a move like that but your sister doesn't? I thought she was some sort of prodigy."

"My uncle invented it and taught it to me." He replied.

"Invented it?" she said and then paused to think. "You know it's weird but the move looked a little familiar to me."

"Well it should," Zuko started, "He actually learned it from watching water benders."

"Watching water benders huh?" Toph teased. "Must run in the family, wouldn't you say Katara? I mean we all know that Zuko here enjoys watching one water bender in particular."

His uncle started to laugh and Zuko could feel his face flush from embarrassment. It was one thing to have Toph ride him when he was alone, but with his uncle around it was discomforting.

Suddenly Sokka let out a laugh as well. "You know Toph that was pretty good. I mean Zuko just walked right into that one."

"Oh Sokka give it a rest. It wasn't that funny." Katara said tersely.

"Toph's remark may not have been that funny, but Zuko's reaction was hilarious. I mean look at him, he's redder than a beet."

Zuko felt himself flush even more. He hated being so embarrassed and he could feel himself becoming angry. He replied bitterly to Sokka, "Well I'm glad I could be a source of amusement for you."

"Anytime; your discomfort is always pleasure." Sokka replied jokingly.

Toph, Sokka, and his uncle continued to laugh and Zuko sat there feeling awkward. This little group was strange. He wondered if he would ever understand them. Of course his uncle fit right in. He had only been with them for just a few hours and yet he was right at home. Zuko had been with them for two weeks and he still felt like an outsider. Suddenly he felt his uncle's hand on his shoulder and he looked up into his face. The old man smiled at him and Zuko realized that he wasn't laughing at him. It was something more. He couldn't quite understand it but it comforted him to know that his uncle was happy. Slowly he felt a smile make its way onto his face.

It was then that Aang spoke up. Zuko had almost forgotten about the boy; he had been so quiet since Katara had healed his stiletto wounds that Mai had inflicted upon him earlier. "You know funny or not, what Zuko did was amazing. By grabbing that lightning like that he saved Katara's life." That comment ended the laughter and all eyes turned to the young air bender. Looking at Zuko Aang continued, "Maybe sometime down the road you could teach that move to me. It would be handy to know for the next time we run into your sister."

Zuko nodded silently to the boy. His words held a deeper meaning to Zuko. Even after all the harsh words yesterday, Aang still wanted them to travel together. It wasn't forgiveness for his nasty remarks but it was a start.

"Hey speaking of Azula, you two never finished your little story." Sokka interrupted. "What happened after you struck her with lightning?"

"Well, my niece tried to dodge it but she wasn't quick enough. The blast caught her in the shoulder and she flew a pretty good distance before hitting the ground. I think the fall knocked her out, but the strike will probably hinder her bending for awhile. I've taken blasts before myself before I learned to redirect it and it is not pleasant. She'll be sore for some time and not much use to her friends once they come for her."

Sokka laughed and said, "Well the acrobat won't be coming anytime soon. Toph buried her up to her waist in earth."

"Well I couldn't stand all that jumping about. It made it hard for me to 'see' her. Once she landed long enough for me to react, I pulled her down. After that she was pretty much defeated. She'll be waiting for her friends to dig her out. Of course she'll have to depend on the sour one to help since Azula is out of the picture for a while." Toph stated.

It was Katara's turn to laugh at that remark. Zuko looked at her and she smiled as she spoke, "Don't count on her either. I left her passed out cold, with a broken nose as well. She's gonna be dealing with her own troubles for awhile."

"You broke her nose!" Sokka exclaimed.

"Well she held me at knife point and then said some very hurtful things. What's a girl supposed to do?" She replied lightly.

"Unbelievable!" Toph remarked. "Our little sweet water bender broke someone's nose and is actually gloating about it."

"I'm not gloating." Katara replied. All eyes turned to her and she blushed. "Ok so I'm gloating a little bit, but she deserved it. She's a mean and spiteful person."

"Wow, I'd like to know what she said to rile you up so much." Sokka said. "I wouldn't want to end up suffering the same fate."

Toph laughed even harder and said, "You know ever since Zuko joined our ranks Katara has really developed an aggressive air about her. I mean she pours that hot food in his lap a few days back, she decks him yesterday after his little spat with Sokka, and today she breaks some poor girl's nose…"

"She deserved it!" Katara interrupted.

"Whoa, back off killer. I didn't say that she was an innocent in all of this. Boy, you really don't like her." She then turned to Zuko and said, "Was she some girlfriend of yours or something?"

"Mai, no way! I made a habit of avoiding Azula and her friends whenever I could when we were growing up."

"Well you may not have shown interest in her but she sure was interested in you." Katara responded heatedly.

"Well the truth comes out." Sokka said. "Trying to eliminate the competition, huh little sister?"

Katara clenched her fists in anger. "It wasn't like that. She held a knife to my throat. She was going to kill me for all I know. I defended myself the best I could."

"Katara I'm only teasing. No one's questioning your motives, really. It's just kind of weird to see you all worked up like this."

"And besides you're almost as easy a mark as Zuko here." Toph said. "I mean between the two of you the fun never ends. Of course now that you guys are an item it almost makes my work too easy."

Zuko could feel himself turning red again at Toph's remarks. His uncle tried to restrain his laughter but it was no use. He let out a deep belly laugh and said, "I'm sorry Prince Zuko but I've never seen anyone handle you like Toph here. She knows just the right thing to say. In fact I've seen you blush more in the last few minutes than in the entire seventeen years of your life." He started laughing again until tears were streaming down his face. Zuko tried to stay mad but he couldn't deny his uncle this simple pleasure, even if it was at his expense.

When he was finally winding down he wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. It was then that Zuko noticed the deep burn marks on his wrists. "Uncle, what did Azula do to you?" He said as he reached out for his uncle's wrists. Taking them in his hands he started to inspect the burns.

"Azula didn't do this, I did." Zuko looked at him questioningly and he continued, "I tried to weaken the restraints slowly over the course of my captivity. I hoped that one day I would be able to break them. But it wasn't until Katara applied some ice to it that they finally broke."

"You mean to tell me that Azula kept you bound for almost two weeks?"

"Well not all the time. When we would rest she would let me out the bindings. Of course she had Ty Lee block the chi in my arms first. I'll tell you I don't know which was worse, the pain of the restraints or the odd sensation that the block created in my limbs."

Zuko could feel his anger rising. How could his sister treat their uncle with such disrespect? No matter how she felt about him she should have honored his position as her elder and treated him with common courtesy. "Azula has no honor." He said softly to himself.

His uncle heard him and replied, "Azula's sense of honor is very warped by her desire to please your father and her need to be perfect. She acts out of her belief that she is right and she does not let emotions or sentimentality get in her way. She saw me as a threat and rightfully so. So she did what she saw as necessary to protect herself and ensure her goals."

"Well I agree with Zuko," Katara said as she moved closer and gently took Iroh's hands from him. "And to think that your brother banished him because of disrespect and weakness on his part. He has more honor than Azula will ever have."

Zuko met his uncle's eyes and they exchanged a look. His uncle smiled and said, "Such a fierce protector you have here nephew."

"Well that's Katara," Sokka spoke up, "Always cheering for the underdog."

Katara ignored the remarks and proceeded to open the water jug that was near her. "Earlier you put me off but I can't see any reason to prevent me from healing you now." With that she wrapped the water around her hands and started the process of healing the burns. Zuko had seen her do this many times over his time with her but he was still amazed by it. His uncle stared in awe as well. When she was finished he inspected his hands and smiled in astonishment.

"What a gift you have Katara."

"Thank you." She replied and then tugging at his left boot she said, "Now let's get a look at that foot."

His uncle protested and said, "No, really my foot is ok. You don't have to do that."

"Yes I do." She responded just as adamantly. "I saw you limping earlier and Zuko said that you injured it during your struggle with the Earth Kingdom soldiers. I need to examine it." The boot wouldn't budge. She turned to Zuko and said, "Give me that knife of your's, we're going to have to cut it off."

"His foot?" Sokka asked.

"No idiot, the boot. His foot is too swollen to get it off without really hurting him." Katara replied.

Zuko took out the knife and started to gently cut the boot away from his uncle's foot. Once it came off he moved back in horror. The foot was purple and swollen. It seemed as if an infection may have been setting in. "How did you manage to walk on this?" he asked incredulously.

"I didn't have much of a choice. The pain was tolerable most of the time." His uncle responded.

Katara set about the work of healing the injury. "It's not broken but even after healing it you should probably stay off of it for awhile. The swelling should go down and the infection should clear up on its own." Zuko watched as the purple bruising started to fade. The swelling did decrease but she was right his uncle would need to keep off of it for some time. He figured the first thing he would do when they landed would be to find his uncle a sturdy stick to use for support.

Katara finished and sat back to inspect her work. She wiped her own forehead and let out a slight yawn. Zuko had forgotten how tiring healing could be for her and she had not only healed himself, Aang, and his uncle but she had fought Mai single handedly. She had to be exhausted.

"You should get some rest." He said to her.

"I'll be fine. It's just been a long day already and the day has barely begun."

Sokka let out a yawn as well and said, "Yeah there's nothing like being awakened from sleep by three crazy girls trying to kill you and capture your friend." With that said he slumped down into the saddle and closed his eyes. "I'm all for a little nap."

"Glad to see you're taking it easy Sokka. We wouldn't want you to tax yourself too much." Toph remarked.

"Thanks for your concern Toph." And then opening his eyes he pointed at Zuko and said, "And don't get any ideas concerning my sister. I'll find out. I have my spies." He then closed his eyes and fell asleep.

"Your brother is just plain strange." He whispered to Katara.

"Tell me about it." She smiled and then yawned again.

He sat back against the back of Appa's saddle and then patted the spot next to him. "You really need to get some rest." He said. She scooted over and sat next to him. He put his arm around her and she snuggled in closer. Not too long after that he felt her head nod forward as she started to fall asleep. She startled slightly and then turned and placed her head on his chest. Within minutes he could hear her breathing become steady as she fell completely asleep.

He heard his uncle cough and he looked up,"I see you take her brother's warning seriously."

"Oh please," Toph said. "Like I'm going to say anything. And I would think that family loyalty would keep you from speaking up."

Iroh laughed at her remarks. Zuko sat quietly as the two started a conversation. Soon he felt his head begin to drop as well. Leaning his cheek on the top of Katara's head he started to drift off to sleep. In his mind he heard the words softly play over from this morning. _I love you_. Did she really say it or was it all part his dying mind's wishful thinking? He couldn't be sure but he wished it were true. Somehow in the course of his time with her he had lost his heart. He wasn't sure when it happened but he knew that it was true. He loved her. Whether he would ever be able to say those words to her he didn't know, but for now he was content to just enjoy his feelings. Tomorrow they would face whatever came their way and they would face it together.

**Katara could feel herself coming out from a deep sleep**. She lay still against Zuko's chest with her eyes closed. The rhythm of his steady breathing made her feel calm and safe. She didn't want to end this moment by facing the others so she lay there still, a little more awake than asleep, enjoying the closeness that they shared.

Yesterday had been horrible and just when she thought it couldn't get any worse Azula showed up. The battle that ensued was intense but nothing prepared her for what happened to Zuko. She still couldn't believe that he had taken that blast from his sister at close range. Just thinking about him lying there dying made her involuntarily clutch his chest tighter. She felt his arm instinctively tighten around her and she smiled. Even in sleep he was aware of her.

Faced with his death she had understood just how deep her feelings for him had become. She loved him. Two weeks ago she would have laughed if someone had told her that she would fall for Zuko but two weeks ago she hadn't really known him. Now after being around him day and night she had begun to see the real man that he was on the inside. She saw through the barriers that he had constructed to protect himself from all the pain he had experienced since the agni kai with his father and his banishment. He had let her see that man and she was grateful for his trust.

Trust; she knew that that would be tested soon. They were heading to Ba Sing Se. Zuko's reasons for going were far different than theirs. If he knew their secret would he still travel with them or would he fight them every step of the way? She began to wonder herself if maybe there was another way to bring down the Fire Lord without bringing down the Fire Nation. With Zuko on their side maybe they could figure it out. Whatever their decision it would happen soon. The friendship that they all shared was very tenuous at the moment and she wasn't sure if it would survive the argument that was sure to come when they faced their decision. Whatever did happen she knew that she would not give Zuko up. She had been devastated when she thought she had lost him earlier and she would not go through that again. She loved him and she thought that maybe he felt just as strongly about her. Together they would face this trial ahead. Somehow they would come out of Ba Sing Se stronger than when they went in.

Sleep started again to overwhelm her and she gave in to it willingly. She snuggled up closer to Zuko and smiled. They had survived so much already, surely they would survive this as well. She had faith in their love. She had faith in Zuko as well.

**Iroh sat quietly collecting his thoughts**. Around him most of the youth had fallen asleep. The water tribe boy, Sokka, lay on his back snoring and the little blind earth bender, Toph, lay still with her head in her hands, not quite asleep, but resting. Most amazing was his nephew and the water tribe girl Katara. They had both been exhausted and had fallen asleep. Zuko sat with his back propped against the bison's saddle. She lay against his chest and was cradled gently in his right arm. How had this happened he wondered? It had been less then two weeks since they had been separated, but yet Zuko had changed more than in the three years they had traveled together.

He had been pleasantly surprised by the way Zuko had found a place in this small group of friends. He reflected back on the conversation that had followed their departure this morning on the Avatar's bison. The teens had talked about the fight but they had referred back to events that occurred over the course of Zuko's time with them. The playful banter between Toph and the others was fun to watch and he was astounded by Zuko's reaction to her good-humored taunts directed towards him and Katara. He couldn't believe it when his nephew blushed from embarrassment when she teased him about watching Katara closely. His nephew was obviously uncomfortable about the remark but he never made a nasty reply in response. Zuko had always had a hard time keeping his feelings to himself in the past and it had gotten him into trouble many times over the course of his life. He was very hot headed but in this group he seemed to know when to keep quiet. Though Zuko may have been sensitive to the teasing, Iroh could see it for what it really was - acceptance. The others felt comfortable enough with him to joke around and they didn't just single him out. Toph teased all of them and Sokka played right into it as well.

He smiled as he watched Zuko. He really had changed. Of course he still had much to learn but he had grown so much during his absence. Zuko had said that he had come to some important decisions and he looked forward to hearing about them later when they could have some privacy. He imagined that his quest to bring the Avatar home to his father had been altered. From the young air bender's remarks earlier it sounded as if he planned for Zuko to continue on with them on their journey. He knew that that would be a difficult task for his nephew. It was one thing to put aside his need to capture the boy, but could he really help to defeat his father? Had he changed that much that he was willing to cast aside his need for his father's approval and take up with the cause to end the war? There was so much to talk about.

He knew that they were heading to Ba Sing Se. That had been his and Zuko's plans all along. Of course they could never have foreseen traveling there with the Avatar and his friends. Maybe while safe within the city they could come up with a plan. Still he knew that they wouldn't be able to stay there for long. The Avatar still needed to learn fire bending and whether he would learn it from them or from someone else; he would not be able to do it in the Earth Kingdom capital.

Two weeks, he thought to himself. Two weeks had brought about so many changes in his life and that of his nephew. He wondered what the future would bring; for himself, for Zuko, and for the others. He knew that the boy cared for Katara very much and he also wondered if the times ahead would help their relationship to grow or crush it before it ever really got started. He hoped it would survive. He wanted so much to see Zuko happy and Katara seemed a good match for him. She was compassionate and understanding when she needed to be but she also had a fierceness to her that would keep her from being overwhelmed by his nephew's strong will and quick temper.

Whatever did lie in their future, he was glad for the changes that he saw now. He loved his nephew and he was glad to be back. He had missed him tremendously over the last two weeks. Still the pain and the loneliness had been worth it to see how much Zuko had matured while he was away. No matter what happened from this point on though he didn't plan to be separated from him again. They would face the future together, even if it meant taking a stand against his brother.

Across from him he noticed Zuko start to stir. His nephew looked up and smiled at him. He had not seen many smiles on Zuko's face over the past few years. He hoped that this change signaled a new beginning for the boy. It was time for joy to return to his life again. It was time for him to start living again. Maybe with this new group of friends all of that would be possible.

**A.N. **I had originally planned one more chapter but it didn't fit with the story. I preferred this ending with Iroh reflecting on the changes in Zuko since he last saw him.

This story has taken on many changes since I started. The biggest change is that I now plan to break it into three parts. This concludes part I. The second installment would cover the group's travels in Ba Sing Se and the third would take them to the final show down with Ozai. I need to think it through. My original idea for Ba Sing Se changed after seeing the more current episodes and I like the idea of the Dai Li and Long Feng controlling the city. I'm not sure though how that would fit into my original story line. We shall see.

**_Please let me know how you liked it and if a second story would keep your interest._**

Thanks again for reading. This experience has been incredible.

Also - I have been trying since Saturday to upload this story. Yeah! That it finally worked (Three days later!).


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